m 


GRADED  LESSONS 
IN  LANGUAGE 

ROSA  V,  WINTERBURN 


BOOK  ONE 


SYSTEMATIC  GRAMMATICAL  TRAINING 
IN    ORAL  AND  WRITTEN   EXPRESSION 


9 


111 


GRADED    LESSONS   IN   LANGUAGE 


WINTERBURN'S  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 
Book  One. 

(a)  On  pages  ii-v  of  the  Appendix  is  a  daily  program  of  recita- 
tions   for    the    first   month's    work;    on    pages    v-x    of    the 
Appendix  is  a  discussion  on  composition;  on  page  x  of  the 
Appendix  the  notes  for  teachers  begin.     A  person  examining 

this  language  book  should  study  carefully  this  program  and 
this  discussion  on  composition,  and  two  or  three  of  these 
notes,  before  reading,  on  page  4  the  first  material  for  the 
pupil. 

(b)  An  author  cannot  write  a  good   text-book  unless  he  has 
clearly  in  mind  the    results  to  be  secured  and  the    materia 
required  to  secure  those  results,  and  has  a   practical  know] 

edge  of  the  methods  of  pedagogy  required  for  the  proper 
arrangement  of  said  material.  In  connection  with  these  facts 
see  references  given  above  and  the  "Preface"  and  "Explana- 
tory and  Suggestive." 

(c)  When  this  book  is  being  used  as  a  regular  text,  its   splendid 

arrangement  of  material  and  methods  of  instruction  come 
into  use  naturally,  and  the  essential  lines  of  work  are  of 
necessity  emphasized,  thus  making  this  book  self-teaching 
on  the  most  important  points. 

(d)  Teachers  hold  in  memory  more  rules  of  grammar  than  do 
the  members  of  any  other  profession.    In  practice,  however, 
boys  who  operate  the  linotype  machines  in  newspaper  offices 
correct    the    communications    received    from    the    average 
teacher.    It  is  the  opinion  of  writers  and  editors  that  most 
of  the  language  and  grammar  work  done  in  the  elementary 
schools  of  the  United  States    instead  of  being  beneficial  is 

a  positive  detriment  to  pupils  so  far  as  learning  to  write  is 
concerned. 

(e)  Most  language  books  require  the  pupil  either  to  memorize 
the  rules  of  grammar  as  he  would  the  multiplication  tables, 
or  to  read  and  discuss  literary  selections  in  the  hope  that 
he  may,  in  some  way,  absorb  a  style  and  the  ability  to  write. 

Both  of  these  methods  instead  of  developing  the  natural 
tendency  of  the  child  to  learn  about  a  subject  and  to  tell 
orally  and  in  writing  what  he  has  learned,  discourage  and 
stunt  this  natural  tendency. 
(1) 


(f)  Too  much  of  our  elementary  language  work  assumes  that 
the  memorizing  of  tbe  terms  and  rules  of  grammar  is  the 
end  or  result  to  be  accomplished;  whereas,  these  terms  and 
rules  should  be  considered  tools  for  the  correction  of  oral 
and  written  expression,  and  a  pupil  should  not  study  one 
of  these  until  he  needs  it  for  this  purpose. 

(g)  The  pupil  should  receive  the  same  kind  of  training  received 
at  some  time  and  in  some  way  by  every  writer  of  ability. 
The  methods  required  to  give  this  training  and  the  order  in 
which  they  should  be  employed  are:    (1)  The  pupil  should 
first  secure  information  about  a  subject,  because  he  cannot 
tell  anything  about  it  unless  he  knows  something  to  tell; 
(2)  the  pupil  should  have  constant  practice  in  telling  orally 
and  in  writing  all  he  knows  about  a  subject,  and  this  he 
should  do  even  if  at  first  his  words  and  sentences  violate 
the  rules  of  grammar;    (3)  the  pupil  should  have  a  definite 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  grammar  required  to  correct 
and  improve  what  he  has  written,  and  from  the  beginning  he 
should  be  required  to  make  these  corrections  himself. 

(h)  Mrs.  Winterburn's  book  consists  entirely  of  the  work  out- 
lined in  the  paragraph  above.  In  her  plan  this  work  is  so 
definite,  so  clear,  and  so  simple  that  the  busiest  teacher  with 
the  poorest  preparation  is  sure  to  succeed. 

(i)  Composition  (oral  and  written)  is  the  backbone  of  the  Win- 
terburn  book.  In  addition  to  numerous  oral  and  written 
drills  employed  to  correct  habitual  errors  of  speech  and  to 
illustrate  the  principles  of  grammar,  two  of  every  five  reci- 
tation periods  are  devoted  to  oral  and  written  composition. 
Like  the  boy  who  runs  the  linotype  machine,  the  pupil 
"learns  to  do  by  doing." 

(j)  The  book  contains  forty  pages  of  "Suggestions  for  Teach- 
ers." Language  experts  who  have  taught  language  and 
supervised  its  teaching,  in  both  country  and  city  schools, 
declare  that  these  suggestions  are  by  far  the  most  valuable 
and  the  most  practical  ever  prepared  for  the  teaching  of  the 
English  language  in  the  elementary  schools. 
(2) 


(k)  A  subject  is  presented  again  and  again  and  again — in  differ- 
ent forms  to  show  different  phases;  in  the  same  form  to 
serve  as  drill  after  drill;  in  steadily  increasing  depth  and 
broadening  knowledge  to  meet  the  growing  maturity  of  the 
pupils.  For  examples  see  the  following  topics  and  refer- 
ences: 

Composition 

Pages 


11 

25 

41 
50 
63 
75 
84 
93 
99 

Adjectives 

Pages 

117 
131 
140 
151 
162 
171 
179 
185 
199 

Pronouns 

Pages 

214 
229 
246 
261 
274 
285 
295 
305 
315 

Sentence  Structure 

Pages 

A 

r 

r 

f 

"\ 

61 

193 

35 

158 

27 

178 

89 

211 

72 

167 

65 

184 

114 

226 

79 

194 

140 

236 

127 

240 

123 

234 

155 

241 

150 

270 

137 

255 

161 

243 

168 

293 

148 

268 

169 

271 

Paragraph  Structure 

Verbs 

Pages 

Pages 

28 

f   "" 

6 

108 

~   "\ 

204 

129 

17 

121 

220 

174 

32 

135 

251 

213 

45 

145 

266 

243 

56 

157 

278 

261 

70 

166 

289 

283 

79 

176 

299 

305 

88 

183 

310 

315 

97 

189 

325 

(1)  For  the     Principles  of  Grammar   studied   in   this   book   see 
"Summary"  on  pages  318-326. 
(3) 


THE    AUTHOR 

The  author,  Rosa  V.  Winterburn,  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of   Michigan,  and  has 
pursued  graduate  studies  at  Columbia  Univer- 
sity and  at  the  University  of  France.     She  has 
taught  in  all  the  primary,  grammar  and  high 
school  grades,  her  first  experience  being  se- 
cured in  a  country  district  school.     She  has 
had  much  experience  in  supervising  the  teach- 
ing of  language  in  the  elementary  and  second- 
ary schools.  Her  last  five  years  of  supervision 
were    in    Stockton,    California,    just    prior    to 
taking  up  the  graduate  work  referred  to  above. 
She  is  the  author  of  "Methods  in  Teaching," 
published  by  The  Macmillan  Company,  and  of 
"The  Spanish  in  the  Southwest,"  published  by 
the  American  Book  Company. 

The  methods  and  subject-matter  in  Mrs. 
Winterburn's  book  are  neither  new  nor  untried. 
She  and  many  other  California  educators  have 
done  for  years  all  the  work  therein  outlined. 

Her  book  puts  into  simple  and  definite  form 
nothing  but  what  has  been  thoroughly  tested 
in  both  country  and  city  schools. 


(4) 


GRADED 
LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


BOOK   ONE 


BY 

ROSA  V.  WINTERBURN 

FORMER  SUPERVISOR  OF  LANGUAGE  AND  HISTORY,  STOCKTON, 

CALIFORNIA.    AUTHOR  OF  "METHODS  IN  TEACHING," 

''SPANISH  IN  THE  SOUTHWEST" 


DOUB  &  COMPANY 

SAN  FRANCISCO 
1908 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1908 
BY  DOUB  &  COMPANY 


EDUCATION 

Electrotyped  and  published  April>   1908 


PREFACE 

Most  newspaper  editors  condemn  severely  the  results 
secured  from  the  teaching  of  language  and  grammar 
in  the  elementary  schools.  Usually,  they  place  the  blame 
on  the  teachers.  Many  of  _these^djtor&^L. tb.jt_ the  boy' 
who  runs  the  linotype  machine  can  correct  the  commu- 
nication received  from  the  average  teacher  so  that  its  ap- 
pearance in  the  paper  will  not  be  a  disgrace  from  the 
standpoint  of  language  and  grammar.  This  is  true,  they 
say,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  teachers  can  recite  more  rules 
of  grammar  than  can  members  of  any  other  profession, 
while  the  boy  who  corrects  their  manuscripts  may  never 
have  looked  inside  a  text-book  on  grammar.  While  this 
wholesale  condemnation  by  editors  and  publishers  of  the 
language  work  done  in  the  primary  and  grammar  grades 
is  too  severe,  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  there  is 
something  radically  wrong  with  that  work.  But  the 
teachers  are  not  wholly,  nor  even  mainly,  responsible  for 
these  results.  To  what  then  are  these  poor  results  due? 

They  are  due  mostly  to  the  two  extreme  methods 
which  text-books  and  school  officials  have  compelled 
teachers  to  follow.  The  older  of  these  methods,  as  laid 
down  in  the  text-book,  made  language  and  grammar 
work  consist  mainly  of  memorizing  the  terms  and  rules  of 
technical  grammar.  No  provision  was  made  for  real  con- 
structive work  in  conversation  and  composition.  The 
object  was  to  have  the  pupil  remember  the  dry  facts  of 

54?415 


grammar  as  he  would  remember  the  multiplication 
tables.  This  method  caused  the  average  pupil  to  despise 
the  subject,  and  tended  to  suppress  what  natural  power 
of  expression  he  might  possess.  Instead  of  treating  the 
principles  of  grammar  as  tools  to  assist  in  the  expression 
of  thought,  thought  was  treated  as  though  it  existed  for 
the  purpose  of  being  twisted  to  accommodate  the  dry, 
formal  rules  of  grammar. 

The  wide  and  severe  criticism  directed  against  the 
methods  set  forth  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  caused  the 
writers  of  grammar  texts  to  go  to  the  other  extreme.  In 
most  of  the  texts  that  have  appeared  in  recent  years  the 
principles  of  grammar  are  practically  eliminated.  The 
very  names  of  grammatical  terms  seem  to  affright,  and 
in  fear  they  have  been  rechristened.  Teachers  are  re- 
quested to  use  these  new  names,  and  not  to  permit  the 
pupil  to  hear  such  words  as  adjective,  noun  and  verb. 
The  pupil  is  asked  to  write,  write,  write,  with  no  real 
knowledge  of  correct  forms  or  correct  usage.  This 
method,  it  is  true,  does  cause  the  pupil  to  think  and  does 
develop  the  power  of  expression,  but  it  does  not  give  him 
the  power  to  express  his  thoughts  clearly  and  accurately, 
because  nothing  except  a  clear  and  definite  knowledge  of. 
the  science  or  grammar  of  our  language  will  give  him 
that  power. 

There  is  no  good  reason  why  pupils  in  the  elementary 
grades  should  not  receive  the  same  kind  of  training  re- 
ceived at  some  time  and  in  some  way  by  every  writer  of 
ability.  The  methods  required  to  give  this  training  and 
the  order  in  which  they  should  be  employed  are :  (a)  The 
pupil  must  first  learn  to  study  a  subject,  for  unless  a  per- 
son is  "full  of  his  subject"  he  can  neither  talk  nor  write 

vi 


about  it  intelligently;  (b)  the  pupil  must  have  constant 
practice  in  telling  orally  and  in  writing  all  he  knows  about 
a  subject,  and  this  he  must  do  even  if  at  first  his  words 
and  sentences  do  violate  the  rules  of  grammar;  (c)  after 
a  pupil  knows  how  to  get  information  about  a  subject 
and  can  tell  that  information,  he  must  have  a  definite 
knowledge  of  those  principles  of  grammar  required  to 
correct  and  improve  what  he  has  written,  and  at  the  very 
beginning  of  his  language  work  he  must  be  taught  how  to 
make  these  corrections  himself,  and  must  be  required  to 
make  them.  A  pupil  should  not  learn  a  rule  or  principle 
of  grammar  until  the  complexity  of  his  thoughts  and  his 
expression  of  those  thoughts  require  the  use  of  that  "prin- 
ciple. In  other  words,  the  pupil  must  be  led  to  see  that 
grammatical  terms  and  rules  are  tools  to  assist  him  in 
expressing  his  thoughts.  By  these  methods,  grammar  be- 
comes a  handmaid  of  expression,  and  the  pupil's  knowl- 
edge of  the  science  of  our  language  is  a  constructive 
growth  from  grade  to  grade.  This  book  is  an  attempt  to 
give  a  practical  outline  for  this  kind  of  work.  For  a  more 
detailed  discussion  of  the  points  involved  see  "Explana- 
tory and  Suggestive"  on  the  next  page. 


ROSA   V.   WlNTERBURN 


Los  Angeles,  California 
April,  1908 


vii 


EXPLANATORY  AND   SUGGESTIVE 

Assistance  for  the  Teacher. — In  the  appendix  are 
many  pages  of  little  talks  or  suggestions  for  the  teacher. 
These  are  not  of  a  general  nature.  During  her  years  of 
supervising  language  work  in  the  primary  and  grammar 
grades,  the  author  has  become  acquainted  with  many  of 
the  difficulties  and  discouragements  of  teachers  and 
pupils.  The  suggestions  deal  specifically  with  the  points 
that  give  the  most  trouble,  and  are  intended  to  be  of 
direct  and  practical  value  to  the  teacher.  Throughout 
the  body  of  the  text,  specific  references  are  made  from 
the  more  difficult  phases  of  the  work  to  the  suggestions 
in  the  appendix. 

Technical  Grammar — No  apology  is  made  for  what 
may  at  first  glance  appear  to  be  too  much  technical  gram- 
mar. The  pupil  is  not  required  to  study  grammar  for  the 
purpose  of  memorizing  its  dry  rules.  He  studies  no 
grammatical  principle  until  he  needs  it  as  a  tool  for  cor- 
recting and  improving  his  oral  and  written  composition. 
It  is  the  use  and  not  the  learning  of  technicalities  that  is 
emphasized.  No  words  or  expressions  are  substituted  for 
grammatical  terms — they  are  called  by  their  right  names. 
When  the  pupil  completes  the  eighth  grade  he  will  be 
master  of  the  practical  part  of  technical  grammar;  he 
will  have  learned  the  science  of  his  language  inductively, 
and  to  him  it  will  be  full  of  life  and  beauty. 

viii 


Formal  Rules  and  the  Best  Usage. — When  rules  of 
grammar  as  laid  down  in  the  text-books  conflict  with  the 
best  usage,  the  latter  is  followed.  Examples  of  this  will 
be  found  in  punctuation  and  in  the  placing  of  modifiers. 
The  general  rule  that  no  mark  of  punctuation  should  be 
used  unless  it  makes  the  thought  clearer  is  followed  (see 
"Summary"  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  grade).  At  the  pres- 
ent time  in  the  United  States,  the  ablest  editors  and 
writers  do  not  hesitate  to  "split"  the  infinitive  if  by  so 
doing  the  thought  is  made  clearer  or  expressed  more 
smoothly. 

Method  of  Treatment The  subject  matter  is 

divided  into  months,  the  work  for  eight  months  being 
arranged  definitely,  and  additional  material  being  given 
for  those  schools  that  maintain  a  ten-month  term.  In 
each  month  the  discussion  of  one  subject  is  completed 
before  another  is  taken  up.  To  illustrate:  the  formal 
study  of  capital  letters  is  completed  before  a  formal 
study  is  made  in  the  same  month  of  verbs  or  any  other 
subject.  Oral  and  written  composition,  however,  is  the 
backbone  of  every  subject.  In  addition  to  the  oral  and 
written  drills  required  to  illustrate  and  apply  what  is 
learned  about  a  subject  (verbs,  adjectives,  adverbs),  two 
language  periods  each  week  are  to  be  devoted  exclusively 
to  oral  and  written  composition.  The  principles  of  gram- 
mar learned  are  only  those  required  by  the  pupil  to  cor- 
rect and  improve  his  oral  and  written  work.  For  further 
information  on  these  points,  see  "Suggestions  for 
Teachers"  in  the  appendix. 

Reviews. — The  subject  matter  for  a  month  is  such 
as  to  secure  a  definite  review  of  the  important  points 
studied  during  the  preceding  month  or  months.  The 

ix 


object  has  been  to  arrange  the  work  so  that  pupils  will 
follow  it  with  interest,  and  so  that  each  subject  will  be 
developed  logically  and  thoroughly. 

Incorrect  Forms. — Incorrect  forms  are  plainly 
stated,  because  a  child  must  know  what  he  is  to  correct 
before  he  can  correct  it.  The  correct  form  is  always  given 
with  the  incorrect  form  and  the  reason  for  using  the  cor- 
rect form  is  explained.  Many  short  oral  and  written 
drills  are  given,  because  the  ear  must  be  trained  to  recog- 
nize the  correct  and  the  incorrect  expressions,  and  the 
tongue  must  be  taught  to  use  naturally  the  correct  form. 

For  What  Grades  Intended.  — Book  One  is  intended 
for  use  in  the  third,  fourth  and  fifth  grades,  but  it  can  be 
used  with  almost  as  good  results  in  the  fourth,  fifth  and 
sixth  grades.  Book  Two  will  provide  work  for  the  re- 
maining grammar  grades. 

Acknowledgments. — The  illustrations  in  this  book 
were  made  from  Brown's  "Famous  Pictures."  There  are 
many  excellent  pictures  in  this  collection  that  are  valuable 
for  school  use.  The  low  price  at  which  these  pictures  are 
sold  places  them  within  the  reach  of  every  school. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Third-Year  Grade I 

First  Month 3 

Second  Month .16 

Third  Month 31 

Fourth  Month .       .       .       .  44 

Fifth  Month 55 

Sixth  Month 69 

Seventh  Month 78 

Eighth  Month 87 

Remaining  Weeks  of  the  Year 96 

Fourth-Year  Grade 105 

First  Month 107 

Second  Month 120 

Third  Month 134 

Fourth  Month 144 

Fifth  Month 156 

Sixth  Month 165 

Seventh  Month 175 

Eighth  Month 182 

Remaining  Weeks  of  the  Year 188 

Fifth- Year  Grade 201 

First  Month 203 

Second  Month 219 

Third  Month 233 

Fourth  Month 250 

Fifth  Month 265 

Sixth  Month .  277 

Seventh  Month 288 

Eighth  Month 298 

Remaining  Weeks  of  the  Year 309 

Summary 318 

Suggestions  for  Teachers i 

Index  xli 


THE  WIND 

I  saw  you  toss  the  kites  on  high 

And  blow  the  birds  about  the  sky, 

And  all  around  I  heard  you  pass, 

Like  ladies'  skirts  across  the  grass — 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song! 

I  saw  the  different  things  you  did, 

But  always  you  yourself  you  hid. 

I  felt  you  push,  I  heard  you  call, 

I  could  not  see  yourself  at  all — 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song ! 

O  you  that  are  so  strong  and  cold, 

O  blower,  are  you  young  or  old? 

Are  you  a  beast  of  field  and  tree, 

Or  just  a  stronger  child  than  me? 
O  wind,  a-blowing  all  day  long, 
O  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song ! 

— Robert  Louis  Stevenson 


THIRD-YEAR   GRADE 


TO  THE  TEACHER 

The  author  of  this  book  has  had  much  experience  in 
teaching  language,  and  in  supervising  the  teaching  of 
language,  in  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  Most  of 
her  work  as  a  supervisor  of  the  subject  has  been  in  primary 
and  grammar  grades,  and  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  needs  and  limitations  of  teachers  and  pupils  has  given 
her  a  somewhat  detailed  knowledge  of  their  difficulties 
and  discouragements.  Her  chief  aim  has  been  to  help 
teachers  in  their  efforts  to  develop  in  the  pupil  the  power 
to  think  systematically  and  to  express  his  thoughts  in  good 
English.  This  she  has  endeavored  to  do  by  sympathetic 
advice  and  by  the  introduction  of  simple,  constructive 
methods. 

It  is  her  desire  to  give  to  the  teachers  who  may  use 
this  book  some  of  the  beneficial  results  of  the  experience 
of  the  teacher  and  the  supervisor.  This  has  been  done  by 
placing  in  the  appendix  suggestions  and  advice  on  almost 
every  point  that  has  given  her  teachers  serious  trouble. 
The  author  requests  and  urges  that  these  suggestions  be 
studied  carefully  by  the  teaoher,  for  she  considers  them 
one  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  book.  Specific 
reference  is  made  to  each  suggestion  by  the  use  of  Arabic 
figures  in  the  body  of  the  text. 


FIRST   MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

CAPITAL  LETTERS 

First  word  of  a  sentence 
Names  of  persons 
Initial  letters 
I  and  O 

PUNCTUATION 

Period  at  the  end  of  a  sentence  and  after  initial 

letters 
Interrogation  point  after  a  question 

COMMON  ERRORS 

Double  negative 

VERBS 

Development  of  the  four  forms  of  write,  break,  do, 

give 
Frequent  drills  on  those  forms  in  which  mistakes  are 

usually  made 

COMPOSITION 

Oral  reproduction 
Written  reproduction 
Original  writing 
Corrections 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


CAPITAL   LETTERS1 

Open  your  reader  to  any  story.  Where  are  the 
capital  letters?  They  seem  to  be  scattered  over  every 
page,  but  in  reality  they  are  all  in  their  places.  Look  at 
the  different  sentences.  How  do  they  begin?  It  is 
always  with  a  capital  letter,  is  it  not?  Every  sentence 
begins  with  a  capital  letter.  Remember  that. 

Copy  a  paragraph  from  the  reader,  taking  care  not  to 
leave  out  a  capital  letter. 

Write  a  little  story  about  a  picture  in  your  reader, 
beginning  every  sentence  with  a  capital  letter. 

Here  is  a  boy's  name — John  Henry  Mason.  Do  you 
notice  the  capital  letters?  Write  the  names  of  several 
boys  and  girls  whom  you  know.  They  should  all  begin 
with  capital  letters.  This  is  true  of  the  names  of  all 
persons.  This  name  may  be  written,  John  H.  Mason; 
or  it  may  be  written,  J.  H.  Mason ;  or  the  letters  J.  H.  M. 
may  be  written  in  place  of  the  name.  These  are  the  initial 
letters  of  this  name.  Each  one  is  a  capital,  followed  by 
a  period. 

Write  the  full  names  of  nine  boys  or  girls  in  the 
room,  using  a  capital  letter  to  begin  every  name.  Write 
them  again,  using  the  initial  letters  for  the  first  and  second 
names.  Use  initials  for  all  the  names.  Remember  the 
capitals  and  periods. 

Write  the  full  name  of  your  father,  mother,  brother, 
sister,  an  aunt  and  an  uncle.  Write  the  initials  of  every 
name. 

Whenever  you  are  writing  about  yourself,  as  J,  a 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  5 

capital  must  be  used.     O  is  a  capital  when  used  alone  in 
a  sentence. 

Write  five  sentences  about  yourself,  using  /. 

PUNCTUATION2 

My  desk  is  low.  My  desk  is  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
It  was  my  brother's  desk  last  term.  My  books  are  under  my 
desk.  Somebody  has  cut  my  desk. 

Several  things  have  been  told  about  the  desk.  Every 
statement  stands  by  itself  in  a  sentence,  and  every 
sentence  begins  with  a  capital  letter  and  ends  with  a 
period. 

Is  your  desk  low  ?  Is  the  desk  in  the  middle  of  the  room  ? 
Was  it  your  brother's  desk  last  term?  Are  your  books  under 
your  desk?  Has  anybody  cut  your  desk? 

These  are  questions,  asking  what  was  told  in  the  other 
sentences.  Notice  the  difference.  Every  sentence  still 
begins  with  a  capital,  but  it  has  an  interrogation  point  at 
the  end.  Here  is  something  to  remember:  If  a  state- 
ment is  made  about  anything,  that  is,  if  something  is  told 
about  it,  the  sentence  ends  with  a  period.  If  a  question 
is  asked  about  anything,  the  question  ends  with  an 
interrogation  point. 

Tell  three  things  about  the  window.  Write  these 
statements,  using  a  capital  letter  at  the  beginning  and  a 
period  at  the  end. 

Ask  three  things  about  the  window.  Write  these 
questions,  using  a  capital  letter  at  the  beginning  and  an 
interrogation  point  at  the  end. 


6  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

You   have   been   writing   two   kinds   of   sentences. 
What  are  they? 


COMMON    ERRORS3 


We  often  hear  a  boy  or  a  girl  say,  "I  ain't  got  no 
pencil."  It  is  much  better  to  say,  I  haven't  a  pencil,  or, 
I  have  no  pencil.  Give  ten  sentences,  using  either  one  of 
these  two  forms  in  place  of  the  incorrect  one  given  first. 


VERBS4 

WRITE 

Many  words  in  our  language  express  action.  We 
say:  the  boy  runs  fast;  the  girl  sews  neatly;  my  brother 
writes  plainly.  These  words  are  verbs.  If  the  verb  is  left 
out  of  a  sentence,  the  meaning  is  left  out.  Every  sentence 
that  we  speak  or  write  has  in  it  a  verb.  Many  persons 
make  mistakes  in  the  use  of  verbs;  but  it  is  easy  to  avoid 
such  mistakes  if  you  learn  when  children  to  use  verbs  cor- 
rectly, one  at  a  time.  In  this  book  you  are  going  to  learn 
an  easy  way  to  use  verbs  correctly. 

We  often  hear  the  incorrect  form,  "I  have  wrote  my 
lesson,"  in  place  of  the  correct  form,  I  have  written  my 
lesson.  Both  wrote  and  written  come  from  the  verb  write, 
and  you  can  learn  when  to  use  each  word. 

I  have  the  chalk  in  my  hand  and  write  some  words 
carefully  on  the  board.  How  shall  I  say  what  I  am  doing? 
I  write  the  words  carefully.  Perhaps,  I  put  them  on  the 
board  yesterday;  how  shall  I  say  that?  I  wrote  the  words 
carefully  yesterday.  If  I  say,  I  am  ,  how  shall  I 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  7 

finish  the  thought?  I  am  writing  the  words  carefully. 
If  the  words  are  all  finished,  how  shall  I  express  that 
thought?  I  have  written  the  words,  or  the  words  are 
written.  We  have  used  only  four  forms  of  this  verb. 
They  can  be  written  in  the  following  way,  so  that  you  can 
see  what  they  are : 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

write  wrote  writing  written 

You  will  probably  make  no  mistakes  in  using  write 
and  writing;  but  wrote  and  written  are  the  forms  that  are 
not  used  correctly.  Wrote  is  used  in  the  past  time,  often 
with  some  word  or  words  like  yesterday,  last  week  or  this 
morning.  Written  is  nearly  always  used  with  some  word 
to  help  it  express  the  meaning ;  as,  is,  are,  was,  were,  have 
or  has. 

Here  is  a  sentence  with  the  past  tense,  that  is,  the 
"second  form :  I  wrote  a  letter  to  my  mother  yesterday. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  wrote,  putting  in  some 
word  that  means  in  the  past,  like  yesterday,  last  week,  this 
morning. 

Here  are  some  sentences  with  written:  I  have  written 
two  letters  today.  My  letter  is  written. 

Write  ten  sentences  with  written,  using  have,  has, 
had,  is,  are,  was,  were. 

BREAK 

Can  you  find  the  four  forms  of  break?  If  you  know 
them  you  should  never  make  a  mistake  in  using  this  word. 
I  am  breaking  this  stick  now,  this  minute;  what  do  I  say? 


8  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

I  break  the  stick.  Yesterday  I  broke  the  stick.  The  third 
form  is  always  the  one  that  ends  with  ing,  so  what  will 
it  be  with  this  word*?  Breaking.  Now,  for  the  fourth 
form,  used  with  have,  has,  had  or  some  other  helping 
word.  John  has  broken  his  stick.  Write  these  four  forms 
under  those  of  write,  as  follows : 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

write  wrote  writing  written 

break  broke  breaking  broken 

It  is  again  in  the  use  of  the  fourth  form  that  children, 
and  many  grown  persons,  make  mistakes.  So,  to  become 
well  acquainted  with  this  troublesome  word,  make  ten 
sentences  like  these  two,  using  broken:  My  doll  is  broken. 
Jack  has  broken  his  bicycle.8 

Be  careful  not  to  say,  my  doll  is  broke,  nor  Jack  has 
broke  his  bicycle.  For  then,  you  see,  you  will  be  using 
the  second  form  with  has  and  is;  and  with  have,  has,  had; 
is,  are,  were,  was,  the  fourth  form  should  be  used.  To 
learn  to  use  these  words,  broken  and  written,  say  them 
many  times  in  this  way: 

I  have  written  a  letter  We  have  written  a  letter 

He  has  written  a  letter  You  have  written  a  letter 

She  has  written  a  letter          They  have  written  a  letter 

I  have  broken  a  glass  We  have  broken  a  glass 

He  has  broken  a  glass  You  have  broken  a  glass 

She  has  broken  a  glass         They  have  broken  a  glass 

DO 

Can  you  find  the  four  forms  of  do?  What  is  the 
one  that  means  right  now,  this  minute*?  I  do  the  work 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  9 

for  mother.  What  would  you  say  if  you  used  yesterday 
in  the  sentence4?  I  did  the  work  yesterday.  Give  the 
third  form,  the  one  ending  with  ing.  Doing.  To  find 
the  fourth  form  put  have  or  has  into  a  statement.  I  have 
done  my  work.  Write  these  four  forms  in  the  following 
way,  under  write  and  break,  for  it  is  convenient  to  have 
them  there  :6 


PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

FOURTH  FORM 

write 
break 
do 

wrote 
broke 
did 

writing 
breaking 
doing 

written 
broken 
done 

Is  there  one  word  there  that  you  do  not  know  very 
well?  \t\sdid.  Give  a  sentence  with  yesterday  and  the 
second  form.  I  did  my  drawing  yesterday.  But  many 
persons  say,  "I  done  my  drawing  yesterday."  That  is 
wrong.  Putting  done  in  the  past  tense  in  place  of  did  is 
the  most  common  mistake  in  the  use  of  this  verb.  To  get 
rid  of  it  let  us  have  many  sentences  with  did. 

GIVE 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

give  gave  giving  given 

Is  there  one  word  here  that  is  not  very  often  used? 
It  is  gave.  Make  a  sentence  with  gave.  James  gave  me 
his  top  last  night.  What  is  often  said  in  place  of  gave? 
"James  give  me  his  top  last  night."  Do  you  see  how  queer 
this  is?  The  first  form,  the  one  that  means  now,  this 
minute,  is  put  into  the  past  time,  where  it  means  yesterday 
or  some  time  in  the  past.  You  will  have  to  work  faith- 


1O  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

fully  to  correct  this  error;  because,  for  some  reason,  it 
is  one  of  the  hardest  to  get  rid  of.  Another  mistake  is 
made  with  this  word.  What  do  you  often  say  when  you 
put  have  into  the  sentence4?  "I  have  give  you  my  ink- 
stand." Is  it  not  queer?  There  is  the  first  form  used 
again  where  it  does  not  belong.  Let  us  have  the  correct 
sentence.  I  have  given  you  my  inkstand.  You  will  have 
to  work  hard  with  this  verb  unless  you  have  learned  all 
about  it  in  the  second  grade.  Here  are  some  sentences 
that  will  help  you  use  gave  and  given  correctly: 

I  gave  you  my  dog  yesterday          We  gave  you  a  rose 
He  gave  you  his  dog  yesterday      You  gave  him  a  rose 
She  gave  you  her  dog  yesterday      They  gave  him  a  rose 

I  have  given  him  his  ball  We  have  given  her  a  doll 

He  has  given  me  my  ball  You  have  given  her  a  doll 

She  has  given  me  my  ball  They  have  given  her  a  doll 

With  these  to  help  you,  think  out  many  sentences 
with  one  or  the  other  of  these  words,  gave  or  given,  and 
write  at  least  ten.  Remember  that  when  talking  about 
something  that  is  past  you  should  say  gave;  and  when 
using  have,  has,  had,  is,  was,  are,  were,  you  should  use 
given,  as  in  the  following  sentences : 

My  book  was  given  to  me.  Harold's  doves  were 
given  to  him.  Who  gave  you  that  flower?  Miss  Pearson 
gave  it  to  me  as  I  was  coming  to  school.  Who  wrote  the 
lesson?  Myron  wrote  it  and  gave  it  to  me. 

Write,  break,  do,  give,  all  show  action.  Words  that 
show  action  are  called  verbs.  Write  the  verbs  studied 
this  month  in  a  list  like  the  following: 


PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

write 

wrote 

writing 

break 

broke 

breaking 

do 

did 

doing 

give 

gave 

giving 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  11 

FOURTH  FORM 
written 
broken 
done 
given 

Say  these  over  until  you  know  them  by  heart,  think- 
ing especially  about  the  right  words.  The  mistakes  made 
are  usually  in  either  the  second  or  the  fourth  form,  some- 
times in  both,  as  in  give.  Write  the  four  forms  of  all 
these  verbs  five  times. 

COMPOSITION7 

Write  the  story  of  one  of  the  poems  read  or  learned 
during  the  month.  Write  the  story  of  the  science  talk 
for  the  week.  Write  part  of  the  story  told  the  class  by 
the  teacher. 

Here  is  the  word  whispering.  What  does  it  make 
you  think  about?  Has  anything  happened  that  makes 
you  laugh  when  you  see  it?  Write  about  it  as  naturally 
as  you  would  talk  about  it  to  some  one. 

What  do  you  think  of  when  you  see  the  word  kite? 
Do  you  remember  watching  a  kite?  Tell  about  it  in 
writing,  just  as  you  would  in  talking.  Perhaps  you  can 
imagine  a  story  about  a  kite.  Tell  it,  but  make  it  short. 
Short  stories  are  easy  to  write. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  blackbird  on  the  lawn  just  after 
the  sprinkling  had  been  finished?  What  was  he  doing? 
How  did  he  walk?  Did  he  look  at  you?  What  do 
you  think  he  was  trying  to  say  to  you?  Write  it  as 
you  would  tell  it.  Did  you  see  him  hunting  his  break- 
fast? Perhaps  you  have  seen  his  nest.  Write  about 
any  one  of  these  thoughts,  and  enjoy  telling  your  story. 


FRANK   PATON 


PUSS   IN  BOOTS 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  13 

How  do  you  think  you  would  feel  if  you  were  a  dog 
or  a  donkey?  Write  about  it. 

Look  at  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page,  "Puss  in 
Boots."  Does  it  make  you  think  of  your  kitten  or  one  that 
you  know?  Do  you  think  that  this  is  a.  playful  kitten? 
How  could  it  get  into  a  shoe?  Why  should  it  go  there? 
Is  this  a  big  shoe?  Do  you  think  the  kitten  will  go  to 
sleep  in  such  a  place?  Write  a  story  about  this  kitten. 

Take  one  of  your  papers,  read  it  over,  and  see  if  you 
can  find  any  mistakes.  Correct  them  before  the  teacher 
reads  the  paper.  You  can  look  out  for  capitals,  periods, 
commas,  question  marks  and  many  other  points  for  your- 
self, but  you  are  very  liable  to  forget  some  of  them  when 
you  are  writing.  You  do  not  have  to  leave  them  for  the 
teacher  to  find,  however;  find  and  correct  them  yourself. 

Many  children  do  not  know  how  to  put  their  sen- 
tences together.  They  use  "and,"  "and,"  "but,"  "but," 
"now,"  -^now,"  "then,"  "then,"  until  one  is  tired  of  the 
words.  It  is  easy  to  avoid  this.  Either  leave  out  these 
words  or  put  two  or  three  sentences  into  one. 

See  in  how  many  ways  you  can  put  these  sentences 
together :  My  home  is  in  a  city.  It  is  a  large  city.  My 
home  is  on  a  shady  street. 

My  home  is  in  a  large  city  on  a  shady  street.  My  home 
is  on  a  shady  street  in  a  large  city. 

My  brother  has  a  dog  and  he  is  big  and  black. 
My  brother  has  a  big,  black  dog. 

There  was  once  a  man.  The  man  was  good.  His  name 
was  Jacob. 

The  man  Jacob  said,  "I  must  have  a  barn.  I  must  have  a 
good  barn.  I  must  have  a  new  barn." 


14  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Jacob  built  a  barn,  and  the  barn  was  large  and  the  new 
barn  was  also  very  beautiful  but  the  barn  was  empty. 

Jacob  said,  "My  barn  is  large  and  it  is  beautiful  but  it  is 
empty  and  I  must  buy  some  wheat  to  put  into  my  barn." 

So  he  bought  some  wheat.  He  bought  much  wheat.  It 
was  fine  wheat.  And  he  put  the  wheat  into  the  barn  that  he 
had  built. 

In  some  of  the  above  groups  the  sentences  can  be 
put  together.  In  others,  and  and  but  are  used  where  they 
are  not  needed.  See  if  you  can  write  them  in  better  form 
by  putting  two  or  three  sentences  into  one,  or  by  making 
other  changes. 

Here  are  some  papers  written  by  third-grade  pupils. 
Can  you  do  as  well? 

BERNICE    TREANOR 

This  is  Bernice  Treanor  that  I  am  going  to  talk  about. 

Bernice  has  golden,  fluffy  hair  hanging  down  her  back. 
Her  eyes  are  brown,  and  she  has  rosy  cheeks  and  light 
complexion. 

Bernice  has  on  a  dainty  green  dress  with  a  little  bow  tied 
in  front  for  a  sash.  She  has  a  little  rufHe  of  chiffon  around 
the  bottom  of  her  skirt. 

Bernice  has  an  evening  dress.  She  is  saying  good-by 
now,  and  is  waving  her  hand.  She  has  on  some  little  tan  shoes 
and  white  stockings.  She  has  on  a  little  white  embroidered 
skirt. 

I  hope  she  will  be  glad  to  get  a  mama. 

Would  you  think  that  this  was  a  doll?  A  little  girl 
had  dressed  her  daintily  to  give  to  a  dear  little  friend. 
She  brought  Bernice  to  school,  and  all  the  girls  wrote 
about  her. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  15 

The  following  story,  suggested  by  a  snow-storm, 
was  written  by  a  third-grade  pupil: 

A   SNOW-STORM 

I  used  to  live  in  the  mountains  where  the  snow  used  to 
fall  very  thick.  There  were  some  little  children  that  lived  near 
us  who  had  a  sleigh.  When  it  snowed  they  used  to  slide  down 
hill.  They  used  to  take  turn  about. 

One  of  the  boys  fell  on  his  back  and  hurt  himself.  All  of 
the  boys  ran  down  to  pick  him  up.  They  put  him  on  the  sleigh 
and  took  him  home  as  fast  as  they  could.  They  sent  for  a 
doctor  as  soon  as  they  could,  and  the  doctor  said  that  he  had 
sprained  his  back.  He  could  not  go  out  for  many  days 
afterward. 

Can  you  improve  this  paper  in  any  way4?  In  the 
first  paragraph  used  to  is  found  four  times.  Are  there 
any  other  unnecessary  repetitions? 

This  is  a  letter  written  by  a  third-grade  girl : 

215  S.  Van  Buren  St., 
Stockton,  California 

Dec.  14,  1907. 
Dear  Sibley : 

Please  come  over  to  our  house  Tuesday.  Come  to  dinner, 
and  we  will  go  to  Concordia  Hall  in  the  afternoon  to  hear  Dr. 
Twist  lecture. 

Your  friend, 

Emma  Longman. 


SECOND  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

See,  come,  eat,  bite 
QUOTATIONS 
PUNCTUATION 

The  punctuation  marks  required  by  the  quotations 
used 

The  comma  in  a  series,  and  to  set  off  yes,  no  and  the 

names  of  persons  addressed 
OPPOSITES  AND  SYNONYMS 

Words  in  common  use 
COMMON  ERRORS 

'them  in  place  of  those 
REVIEW  LESSONS 
COMPOSITION 

Oral  reproduction 

Written  reproduction 

Original  writing 

Corrections 

Sentence  structure 

Paragraph  structure 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  17 


VERBS8 

SEE 

Find  the  four  parts  of  see.  I  see  a  horse  and  car- 
riage. Yesterday  I  saw  the  man.  What  is  the  form 

ending  with  ing?    Seeing.     When  we  say,  I  have 

the  man  three  times,  what  is  the  word  we  should  use? 
I  have  seen  the  man  three  times.  So  these  are  the  four 
parts : 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

see  saw  seeing  seen 

What  mistake  is  often  made  in  using  this  verb? 
Saw  is  never  used  by  some  children.  What  do  they  use 
in  its  place?  Make  a  sentence  and  see  if  you  can  find 
out.  I  saw  your  books  in  the  yard.  How  many  times 
we  hear,  "I  seen"  in  such  a  sentence.  This  is  wrong. 
Which  form  is  used  in  the  past  time?  Put  yesterday  or 
last  week  into  a  sentence,  and  see  if  you  can  tell  what 
form  to  use.  The  second  form,  is  it  not?  I  saw  you  in 
church  yesterday.  You  saw  me  last  week  as  I  was  looking 
out  of  the  window. 

Write  ten  sentences  with  saw. 

Write  ten  with  have  seen,  has  seen  or  is  seen. 

Remember  that  seen  is  used  when  have,  has,  had,  is, 
are,  was  and  were  help  out  the  verb;  but  that  in  past 
time  saw  is  used. 

COME 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

come  came  coming  come 


i8  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

If  you  say,  I  to  school  early  this  morning, 

what  form  should  be  used4?  Do  you  not  often  say,  "I 
come  to  school  early  this  morning?  "  Look  at  the  four 
forms  and  see  what  should  be  said.  /  came  this  morning. 
Say  over  to  yourself  many  sentences  with  came,  using  last 
week,  this  morning,  day  before  yesterday. 

EAT 
PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

eat  ate  eating  eaten 

What  is  often  used  in  place  of  ate?  When  speak- 
ing about  breakfast  what  do  you  hear?  "I  et  breakfast 
at  seven  o'clock  this  morning."  You  hear  the  same  word 
with  have.  "I  have  et  my  breakfast."  What  is  the  past 
tense  of  this  verb?  Think  out  some  sentences  like  the 
following  in  which  ate  is  used,  and  say  them  over  to 
yourself  several  times: 

Who  ate  my  apple?  The  cow  ate  it;  I  saw  her.  At 
what  time  did  you  eat  dinner  yesterday  ?  We  ate  at  six  o'clock. 

I  ate  an  apple  We  ate  some  melon 

He  ate  an  apple  You  ate  some  melon 

She  ate  an  apple  They  ate  some  melon 

Eaten  is  the  form  used  with  have,  has,  had,  is,  are, 
was,  were: 

Have  you  eaten  your  nuts  yet?  Yes,  I  ate  them  last 
night.  My  nuts  have  been  eaten.  Who  ate  them?  The  squir- 
rels have  eaten  your  nuts  and  some  of  mine.  Have  you  eaten 
your  lunch  yet?  No,  I  haven't  eaten  it  yet. 

Write  five  sentences  with  ate:   five  with  eaten. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  19 

BITE 

By  thinking  what  you  say  when  you  mean  now,  this 
minute,  make  a  sentence  in  which  the  first  form  of  bite  is 
used ;  as,  I  always  bite  my  thread.  If  you  are  speaking  of 
last  night,  what  do  you  say?  I  bit  my  tongue  last  night. 
The  easy  form,  ending  in  ing,  is  biting.  The  fourth  form, 
with  have,  you  must  be  careful  about.  We  often  hear, 
"The  dog  has  bit  the  child,"  but  this  is  wrong.  It  is,  the 
dog  has  bitten  the  child.  Before  giving  any  sentences  for 
this  verb,  write  its  four  forms  under  those  of  -write,  break, 
give,  eat,  as  follows: 


FOURTH  FORM 

written 

broken 

given 

eaten 

bitten 


Say  these  over  several  times.  Do  you  notice  that  the 
fourth  form  of  all  of  these  verbs  ends  with  en?  This  will 
help  you  remember  them,  and  will  help  you  learn  to  use 
the  two  new  words,  eaten  and  bitten,  and  get  rid  of 
"et"  and  "bit"  with  have  or  has.  Here  are  sentences  in 
which  eaten  and  bitten  are  used : 

Has  any  one  eaten  his  sandwich  yet?  The  parrot  has 
bitten  my  thumb.  The  rat  has  bitten  my  cat. 

Write  ten  sentences  with  bitten. 
Write  ten  with  eaten. 
Write  ten  with  given. 
Write  ten  with  broken. 
Write  ten  with  written. 


PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

write 
break 

wrote 
broke 

writing 
breaking 

give 

gave 

giving 

eat 
bite 

ate 
bit 

eating 
biting 

2o  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


QUOTATIONS9 

Tell  something  said  by  one  of  the  boys.  Harold 
said,  "I  can't  learn  that  poem."  Tell  something  that 
your  father  said.  He  said,  "Come  home  early."  See 
how  these  sentences  look  when  written  out  in  full : 

Harold  said,  "I  can't  learn  that  poem." 
Papa  said,  "Come  home  early." 

Can  you  tell  by  a  look  what  Harold  said  and  what 
papa  said?  Why  is  it  so  easy  to  tell  quickly?  Because 
what  each  said  is  set  off  by  itself.  There  are  marks 
around  it  that  frame  in  the  very  words  used  by  Harold 
and  papa. 

These  sentences  may  be  given  in  another  way. 
Harold  said  he  could  not  learn  that  poem.  Have  we 
here  the  words  that  Harold  used?  No.  So  there  is  no 
"frame,"  for  it  must  always  be  around  the  very  words 
spoken  by  some  one. 

Give  sentences  like  the  following,  having  in  them 
exactly  what  some  persons  have  said: 

Lucy  asked  the  teacher,  "May  I  get  a  drink?" 
The  teacher  said,  "Yes,  you  may  get  it  now." 
Papa  said,  "Where  are  your  books  ?" 

Do  you  notice  anything  else  about  the  way  these 
sentences  are  written?  It  is  like  writing  one  sentence 
within  another,  and  that  is  exactly  what  is  done.  The 
quotation  (or  "saying")  is  begun  with  a  capital  and 
ended  with  a  period  or  question  mark,  as  if  it  stood  by 
itself.  Are  commas  used  inside  the  "frame"  ?  Yes,  as  if 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  21 

the  quotation  stood  all  alone.  Is  the  quotation  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  in  any  way?  Is  there  any- 
thing between,  Lucy  asked  the  teacher^  and  "May  I  get  a 
drink?"  Yes,  there  is  a  comma. 

Let  us  see  what  has  been  learned.  A  quotation 
means  the  very  words  spoken  by  some  one.  It  has  a 
"frame"  around  it,  or  quotation  marks.  It  is  like  a  sen- 
tence within  another  sentence,  for  it  has  a  capital  letter  at 
the  beginning,  and  a  period,  comma,  question  mark  or 
mark  of  surprise  (exclamation  point)  at  the  end.  It  is 
set  off  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  a  comma. 

There  is  much  to  learn  about  quotations  and  how  to 
use  them;  but  you  already  know  something  about  them 
from  the  second  grade,  and  they  are  not  hard  to  under- 
stand if  you  remember  to  use  what  you  know.  Let  us 
have  some  short  quotations.  Tell  what  some  of  the  boys 
and  girls  have  said.1 

Suppose  this  is  one  of  your  sentences:  James  said 
that  he  was  coming  over  tonight.  Is  this  a  quotation*? 
No.  Why  not?  We  want  the  very  words  that  James 
said.  Think  how  James  looked  into  your  face,  and  then 
say  exactly  what  he  said,  "I  am  coming  over  tonight." 
Now  write  the  whole  sentence :  James  said,  "I  am 
coming  over  tonight." 

Here  we  have  the  words  used  by  James.  This  quo- 
tation (or  "saying")  is  commenced  with  a  capital  letter, 
it  has  a  period  at  the  end,  a  "frame"  around  it,  and  it  is 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  a  comma. 
Look  at  it.  Can  you  see  quickly  the  words  spoken  by 
James? 

In  the  following  sentences  tell  why  the  quotation 


22  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

marks  are  used  in  some  sentences  and  not  in  others,  and 
explain  the  punctuation : 

Julia  said  that  she  had  broken  her  doll. 

Julia  said,  "I  have  broken  my  doll." 

I  told  her  I  was  sorry. 

I  said,  "I  am  sorry,  Julia." 

Mary  said  that  her  mother  was  sick.. 

Mary  said,  "Mother  is  sick/' 

The  doctor  asked,  "How  is  your  mother  today?" 

"Are  you  going  to  be  at  home?"  Mary  asked. 

"How  long  before  you  are  going  to  school  ?"  John  asked. 

"Go  home !"  I  said  to  my  dog. 

"Come  here !"  Mary  said  to  the  baby. 

THE   COMMA 

Look  around  the  room  and  mention  three  or  four 
things  that  you  see.  I  see  a  window,  a  door  and  the 
stove.  What  fruit  have  I  here  on  my  desk4?  You  have 
an  apple,  a  peach  and  a  pear. 

Sometimes  and  is  put  between  these  words :  I  have 
an  apple  and  a  peach  and  a  pear.  When  and  is  left  out 
in  such  a  series,  a  comma  takes  its  place.  Notice  the 
following  sentences: 

Give  me  the  chalk,  the  eraser  and  a  pencil. 
Hang  up  your  coat,  hat  and  lunch  basket. 
Here  are  your  ball,  your  hat  and  your  bag  of  marbles. 

There  are  two  other  uses  of  the  comma  that  are  very 
easily  learned.  Look  at  these  sentences: 

Children,  where  are  you  going? 
John,  will  you  close  the  door? 
Mary,  take  your  lunch  today. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  23 

Here,  James,  I  have  your  books. 
Where  are  you  going,  Jennie? 

Notice  that  every  name  is  set  off  by  a  comma.  So 
also  is  children.  We  may  speak  in  the  usual  tone  of 
voice,  but  it  is  as  if  we  were  calling  these  persons.  We 
address  what  we  have  to  say  to  some  one,  speaking  his 
name  somewhere  in  the  sentence.  No  matter  where  the 
name  of  the  person  addressed  is  put,  it  is  set  off  from  the 
rest  of  the  sentence  by  a  comma,  or  two  if  necessary. 

Use  the  name  of  one  of  the  boys,  telling  or  asking 
him  something.  Write  the  sentence,  setting  off  the  name 
by  a  comma.  Write  five  such  sentences,  putting  the  name 
in  different  parts  of  the  sentence,  at  the  beginning,  at  the 
end  or  in  the  middle. 

Notice  these  sentences: 

Yes,  I  will  come  tomorrow. 
No,  I  will  not  go  with  you. 
Yes,  I  will  come  if  you  want  me. 

Tes,  no,  really  answer  some  question.  Tes  or  no 
might  be  enough  without  the  rest  of  the  sentence.  They 
are  so  independent  that  they  are  set  off  from  the  rest  of 
the  sentence  by  a  comma. 

Write  ten  sentences,  using  either  yes  or  no,  setting 
them  off  by  commas. 


OPPOSITES    AND    SYNONYMS11 

This  room  is  light.  How  is  it  in  the  closet?  Dark. 
That  is  the  opposite  of  light,  is  it  not?  The  room  is 
light;. the  closet  is  dark.  My  pencil  is  long.  How  is 


24  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

yours?  Mine  is  short.  Long  and  short  are  opposites. 
My  glass  is  whole;  yours  is  broken.  My  cup  is  full; 
yours  is  empty. 

Give  the  opposites  of  the  following  words: 

glad  cold  coming  sour  bare 

heavy          cruel  unhappy  tardy  old 

The  day  is  dark.  In  place  of  dark  can  you  give  a 
word  that  has  almost  the  same  meaning?  Cloudy, 
gloomy.  This  flower  is  pretty.  Can  you  give  a  word 
that  means  about  the  same  as  flower?  Blossom.  Give 
words  that  mean  about  the  same  as  the  following  : 

glad  pretty  kind  cruel  shut 

fierce         strange  fast  angry  shape 


COMMON  ERRORS 

We  frequently  hear  such  a  sentence  as,  "Give  me 
them  books."  "Where  are  them  boys?  "  In  both  these 
places,  and  many  others  where  them  is  used,  we  should 
have  those.  Give  me  those  books.  Where  are  those 
boys?  Use  the  following  in  sentences: 

those  birds  those  girls  those  boys 

those  men  those  books  those  horses 

those  flowers  those  sticks  those  houses 


REVIEW  LESSONS 

Think  of  some  of  the  short  "sayings"  that  you  have 
heard  recently;  something  that  your  father,  mother,  one 
of  the  boys  or  one  of  the  girls  has  said.  Write  this  quota- 
tion, putting  before  it  the  name  of  the  person  who  said  it. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  25 

Remember  to  use  the  "frame,"  the  capital  letters  and  the 
right  punctuation. 

Write  five  statements,  or  "telling  sentences,"  about 
some  object  in  the  room  or  in  the  yard.  Change  these  to 
questions,  or  else  write  five  questions  about  the  same 
object.  Remember  the  punctuation. 

Write  nine  sentences,  using  yes  or  no. 

Write  nine  sentences,  in  each  one  calling  the  atten- 
tion of  some  person  to  tell  him  or  ask  him  something. 


COMPOSITION12 

Did  you  ever  think  about  the  waste-paper  basket*? 
Is  it  not  very  patient  to  permit  all  sorts  of  old  papers  to 
be  thrown  into  it?  Suppose  it  could  talk,  what  do  you 
think  it  would  say  about  the  boy  who  was  waiting  at  the 
teacher's  desk,  and  kicked  the  basket  just  because  it 
happened  to  be  standing  there?  Write  about  it. 

Tell  about  your  bag  of  marbles.  How  many  have 
you?  Where  did  you  get  them?  Which  ones  do  you 
like  best?  Why? 

What  a  hole  in  this  apron !  How  did  it  come  here? 
Who  is  going  to  mend  it?  When?  Write  about  it,  as 
you  would  talk  of  it  to  your  mother. 

The  letter-carrier  went  past  a  few  moments  ago. 
Tell  the  real  story  of  his  day,  as  nearly  as  you  can.  Tell 
where  he  gets  the  letters,  where  he  goes,  what  he  does  in 
rainy  weather,  and  any  interesting  things  that  you  can 
about  his  day's  work. 

Tell  the  story  of  one  of  your  lessons  orally,  and  then 
tell  it  in  writing. 


FROM  PAINTING  BY  FERRIER 

LITTLE  RED  RIDING   HOOD 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  27 

Tell  the  story  of  a  poem  learned  or  read,  and  then 
write  the  story. 

Cut  a  picture  from  a  newspaper  and  bring  it  to 
school.  Tell  a  story  about  it,  and  paste  the  picture  on 
the  paper  as  an  illustration. 

You  all  know  the  story  of  Red  Riding  Hood,  do  you 
not?  The  picture  on  the  opposite  page  shows  the  little 
girl  as  she  meets  the  wolf  in  the  forest.  Does  the  wolf 
look  fierce?  Do  you  think  he  looks  hungry?  Which  do 
you  think  he  would  rather  eat,  Red  Riding  Hood  herself, 
or  the  things  in  her  basket?  Tell  how  Red  Riding  Hood 
met  the  wolf  in  the  forest  and  what  he  said  to  her  there. 

After  writing  a  paper,  read  it  over  and  see  if  you  can 
cut  out  and,  but,  now  or  then  anywhere.  There  are 
usually  too  many  of  these  words.  Can  you  put  any  two 
of  your  sentences  into  one?  Above  all,  see  that  you 
have  not  put  two  or  three  thoughts  into  one  sentence.  A 
sentence  should  have  but  one  complete  thought. 


SENTENCE    STRUCTURE13 


Put  together  some  of  the  following  short  sentences 
by  using  who,  which  or  that: 

A  large  wolf  led  the  pack.     He  soon  became  known  as 
Lobo,  the  king  of  the  wolves. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  were  some  frogs.     They  lived  in 
a  pond  with  green  grass  around  it. 

My  mother  had  a  letter  this  morning.     The  letter-carrier 
brought  it  to  her. 

I  have  a  beautiful  cat.     He  is  large  and  white. 


28  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE" 

You  have  been  trying  to  learn  to  put  one  thought 
into  a  sentence.  In  doing  so,  have  you  noticed  that  there 
are  often  several  sentences  about  the  same  thing?  They 
seem  to  belong  together  very  closely,  and  they  do.  These 
sentences  should  be  put  into  a  group  by  themselves.  Such 
a  group  is  called  a  paragraph.  It  is  not  always  easy  to 
tell  what  sentences  belong  together;  but,  by  being 
watchful,  you  will  learn  to  paragraph  your  stories  very 
well. 

See  if  you  can  tell  why  these  sentences  are  put 
together  in  paragraphs : 

There  was  once  a  man  who  was  traveling.  At  last  he 
came  to  a  beautiful  house  that  was  as  large  as  a  palace. 

"Perhaps  I  can  stay  over  night  here,"  said  the  man,  and 
he  went  into  the  yard  before  the  house.  In  the  yard  was  an 
old  man  who  was  splitting  wood. 

"Good  evening,  father!"  said  the  traveler.  "May  I  stay 
over  night  here?" 

"I  am  not  the  father  of  the  family!"  answered  the  old 
man  who  was  in  the  court  splitting  wood.  "Go  into  the  house. 
Go  to  the  kitchen.  You  will  find  the  father  there.  He  will  tell 
you  if  you  may  stay  over  night." 

The  traveler  went  into  the  house.  He  went  to  the 
kitchen,  where  he  saw  an  old  man.  He  was  very  old,  older 
than  the  man  who  was  in  the  court  splitting  wood.  This  old 
man  was  making  a  fire. 

"Good  evening,  father !"  said  the  traveler.  "May  I  stay 
over  night  here  in  your  house  ?" 

"I  am  not  the  father  of  the  family!"  answered  the  old 
man.  "Go  into  the  dining-room.  You  will  find  my  fatker 
there.  He  is  sitting  at  the  table  eating." 

Tt  was  some  time  before  the  traveler  found  the  "father  of 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  29 

the  family,"  a  very,  very  old  man,  who  told  him  that  he  might 
stay  over  night  in  the  big  house. 

These  divisions  are  paragraphs.  Can  you  tell  why 
the  sentences  are  grouped  together?  The  first  paragraph 
has  two  sentences.  Why  do  they  belong  together?  Why 
are  those  in  the  second  paragraph  put  together?  Why 
are  those  in  the  fifth  paragraph  put  together? 

Do  these  give  you  some  idea  about  a  paragraph? 
Study  a  story  in  a  reader  or  a  story  book,  and  see  if  you 
can  find  out  why  certain  sentences  are  put  together  in  one 
paragraph  and  others  in  another  paragraph.  Then  write 
a  little  paper  of  your  own,  having  one  thought  only  in  a 
sentence,  and  several  sentences  that  belong  together  in  a 
paragraph. 

Some  good  subjects  to  write  about  are  two  or  three 
of  your  pets;  your  plants  in  the  garden;  two  or  three 
friends  with  whom  you  like  to  play  and  visit.  The  next 
day  after  you  have  written  the  paper,  read  it  over  to  see 
if  you  succeeded  in  making  good  sentences  and  paragraphs. 

There  follows  a  paper  by  a  third-grade  child.  The 
class  had  been  trying  for  some  days  to  describe  things 
orally  "so  that  the  teacher  could  see  just  how  they 
looked."  At  last  they  were  permitted  to  try  in  writing, 
choosing  their  subjects  from  those  that  had  been  talked 
over  in  class. 

A  WALK  ON   THE   BEACH 

As  I  was  walking  along  the  beach  off  in  the  distance  I 
could  see  the  pink  and  blue  clouds  of  the  morning. 

I  could  hear  the  gentle  splashing  of  the  waves  or  hear  the 
seaweed  popping  under  my  feet. 

Oh !  everything  was  beautiful.     Sometimes  I  would  stop 


30  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

and  pick  up  some  of  the  little  shells,  put  "them  to  my  ear,  and 
hear  the  roaring  that  sounded  like  the  sea  rushing  through 
them.15 

Here  is  another  paper  by  a  third-grade  child: 

IN  THE  WOODS  IN  SEPTEMBER 

One  day  I  went  out  into  the  woods  with  my  lunch  to 
spend  the  day.  I  chose  a  pretty  spot  by  a  stream.  The  leaves 
were  knee-deep,  and  the  squirrels  and  birds  were  getting  in 
their  winter  stores. 

The  river  banks  were  covered  with  moss  and  ferns.  Fish 
were  jumping  out  of  the  water.  The  trees  were  reflected  in  the 
water  like  a  mirror,  and  all  was  beautiful. 


THIRD   MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Review  those  of  the  past  two  months 
Speak,  go,  take,  teach,  bring,  keep 

CAPITALS  AND  PUNCTUATION 
PRONOUNS 

POSSESSIVES 

Singular  possessives 

Plural  possessives  where  necessary 

PLURALS 
REVIEW  LESSONS 

COMPOSITION 

Oral  and  written  reproduction 
Letters 

Original  stories 
Corrections 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


32  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS16 
SPEAK 

Find  the  four  forms  of  speak.  Do  they  remind  you 
of  the  four  principal  parts  of  another  verb*?  Can  you 
tell  what  mistake  is  most  commonly  made  in  using  this 
verb?  Is  spoken  a  word  that  you  hear  or  use  very  often"? 
What  word  is  used  in  its  place"?  Write  the  four  forms 
under  those  of  break.  See  how  much  alike  they  are. 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

break  broke  breaking  broken 

speak  spoke  speaking  spoken 

As  spoken,  like  broken,  is  a  word  that  is  not  known 
by  many  persons,  but  that  should  be  used  with  have,  has, 
had,  is,  are,  were,  was,  let  us  have  some  sentences  with  it : 

Have  you  spoken  a  piece  this  term,  Lena?  Yes,  I  have 
spoken  twice.  Harry  has  not  spoken  in  school  since  last  term. 
He  shall  speak  for  us  next  week. 

Here  are  also  a  few  with  broken: 

Are  there  any  pencils  broken?  Yes,  we  three  boys  have 
broken  ours.  The  window  is  broken.  How  was  it  broken? 
How  many  windows  have  been  broken  this  term?  John  has 
broken  one,  and  I  have  broken  two. 

Here  are  a  few  sentences  with  spoke  and  broke. 
What  form  of  the  verb  is  each? 

Did  you  speak  to  the  Chinaman  for  me  ?  Yes,  I  spoke  to 
him  this  morning.  Some  one  spoke  out  loud  then.  Who  was 
it?  Harry  spoke  to  me.  He  spoke  about  the  spelling-  lesson. 

Who  broke  this  j^r?  The  dog  broke  it  last  night.  He 
knocked  it  over  and  broke  it. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  33 

GO 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

go  went  going  gone 

Are  you  using  the  fourth  form  correctly?  First,  let 
us  use  the  second  form.  It  is  very  easy. 

Who  went  to  the  park  this  week?  We  went  yesterday, 
but  it  was  cold  there.  Who  went  into  the  garden  last  ?  It  was 
Jennie ;  she  went  there  at  noon. 

Use  have,  has,  had,  is,  are,  was  and  were  in  sentences, 
with  the  proper  form  of  the  verb  go. 

TAKE 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

take  took  taking  taken 

As  with  many  other  verbs,  the  mistakes  are  usually 
made  with  the  fourth  form ;  so  look  at  these  sentences  with 
taken: 

Who  has  taken  my  umbrella  ?  Martha  has  taken  it  home 
with  her.  Have  you  taken  your  music  lesson  yet  this  week? 
Yes,  I  have  taken  two.  All  the  man's  money  was  taken  by  a 
burglar.  Has  the  sick  man  taken  his  medicine?  Yes,  he  has 
taken  two  bottlefuls.  Have  you  taken  your  cat  home  yet, 
Myron?  Papa  has  just  taken  her  with  him. 

Here  are  a  few  sentences  with  took,  the  second  form : 

Who  took  my  books  from  my  desk?  Kate  .took  them, 
Miss  Jenkins.  We  took  the  Sixth  Street  car  to  church.  We 
took  the  boat  to  the  city.  I  took  cold  yesterday.  I  have  taken 
cold  three  times  this  month. 

In  order  that  you  may  not  forget  how  to  use  took 
correctly,  write  five  sentences  in  which  it  is  used. 


34  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

TEACH,  BRING 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD   FORM  FOTRTH   FORM 

teach  taught  teaching  taught 

bring  brought  bringing  brought 

These  words  are  so  easy  and  so  much  alike  that  you 
can  study  them  together.  You  must  be  careful,  however, 
to  notice  the  difference  in  spelling.  It  is  au  in  taught,  and 
ou  in  brought. 

Write  ten  sentences  with  taught.  Write  ten  with 
brought. 

KEEP 

This,  also,  is  a  very  easy  word  to  use.  Almost 
every  one  uses  it  correctly,  but  sometimes  children  have 
not  learned  that  there  is  such  a  word  as  kept.  Be  careful 
to  say  kept,  not  "kep." 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH   FORM 

keep  kept  keeping  kept 

Give  ten  sentences  with  the  second  form.  Give  ten 
with  the  fourth. 

CAPITALS  AND  PUNCTUATION 
Write  a  letter  to  your  mother,  telling  her  something 
that  happened  in  school.  Write  it  as  you  may  tell  it  to 
her  tonight.  Be  careful  about  the  capitals  and  punctu- 
ation, especially  in  the  heading.  The  following  heading 
shows  how  -to  use  them : 

1919  West  Eaton  St., 

Los  Angeles,  California, 
My  dear  Mother:  October  25,  1907. 

Write  a  .letter  to.  one  of  your  friends,  telling  how 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  35 

you  dropped  your  lunch  basket  in  the  mud  this  morning 
and  spoiled  the  lunch. 

Write  a  letter  to  your  grandmother,  grandfather, 
aunt  or  uncle,  telling  how  you  are  going  to  spend 
Thanksgiving.17 

PRONOUNS 

If  we  are  talking  about  John  and  have  said  "John" 
several  times,  what  word  may  be  used  in  place  of  the 
name'?  As,  John  went  to  the  city,  where  John  saw  the 
city  hall.  We  can  put  he  in  place  of  John,  and  every  one 
will  understand  that  we  are  still  talking  about  the  same 
boy.  John  went  to  the  city,  where  he  saw  the  city  hall. 
If  we  are  talking  about  Julia,  we  can  use  she.  If  I  am 
talking  about  myself,  I  never  use  my  name,  but  say  I. 
We  use  we,  you,  they,  instead  of  names.  What  other 
words  can  we  use  for  John,  Julia  and  other  persons? 


I  am  here 

You  saw  me 

John  is  here 
He  is  here 

I  You  saw  him 
j 

Julia  is  here 
She  is  here 

t  You  saw  her 
(  

We  came  You  heard  _us 

You  came  We  heard  you 

They  came          We  heard  them 


These  underlined  words  in  the  above  list  are  pro- 
nouns. In  talking  about  myself  I  may  use  /  and  me; 
about  John,  he  and  him;  about  Julia,  she  and  her;  about 
two  or  more  of  us,  ice  and  us;  about  you,  it  is  always 


36  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

you;  about  two  or  more,  not  including  myself,  they  and 
them.  But  where  I  use  I,  me  should  not  be  used.  It  is 
the  same  with  other  pronouns;  each  one  has  its  place. 
You  should  learn  about  these  right  places  and,  like  many 
other  language  facts,  it  is  not  difficult  to  do  so.  The 
trouble  is,  you  may  forget.  That  is  why  you  have  so 
many  drills  on  a  correct  form,  saying  or  writing  it  over 
and  over,  until  you  remember  it  whenever  you  are  talk- 
ing. You  probably  learned  something  about  these  words 
in  the  first  and  second  grades,  but  you  can  understand 
more  about  them  now.  Notice  the  pronouns  that  take 
the  places  of  the  names  in  the  following  sentences: 

John  is  here  He  is  here 

(Yourself)  I  am  here 

Put  both  into  one  sentence :    H e  and  I  are  here." 

Some  children  say,  "Him  and  me  is  here."  Is  it 
not  strange"?  Of  course  we  say  he  is  here,  no  matter  how 
many  other  persons  we  talk  about  at  the  same  time.  You 
would  never  say,  me  am  here,  for  that  is  absurd.  You 
say,  /  am  here.  Put  the  sentences  together  correctly,  He 
and  I  are  here.  Sometimes  children  say,  "John  and  me 
came."  Is  it  right?  Mention  each  person  alone  giving 
the  complete  sentence:  John  came.  /  came.  Then  put 
the  two  sentences  together.  John  and  I  came.  Out  of 
courtesy  we  always  put  the  other  person's  name  first. 

Make  combinations  of  the  following  sentences,  put- 
ting the  names  of  two  persons,  at  least,  into  one  sentence : 

I  am  coming  We  are  coming 

He  is  coming  You  are  coming 

She  is  coming  They  are  coming 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  37 

He  and  I  are  coming.  She  and  I  are  coming.  You  and 
he  are  coming.  You  and  she  are  coming.  You  and  they  are 
coming.  He  and  she  are  coming.  He,  she  and  I  are  coming. 
You,  he  and  she  are  coming. 

Write  six  more  sentences  like  those  above,  as: 

I  am  sick  We  are  sick 

He  is  sick  You  are   sick 

She  is  sick  They  are  sick 

Make  many  combinations  of  these  sentences. 
Write  six  more,  then  combine  in  many  ways. 


POSSESSIVES 

You  say,  "John's  ball,"  and  we  know  that  John  has 
a  ball.  You  say  Jennie's  doll,  mama's  hat,  Miss  Ball's 
basket,  expressing  correctly  what  you  mean,  without  stop- 
ping to  think  how  to  do  it.  You  know  so  well  how  to 
say  it  that  you  speak  unconsciously;  but  did  you  ever 
notice  how  many  times  you  write  such  an  expression 
incorrectly^  That  is  because  you  have  not  yet  learned 
to  write  it  so  easily  and  naturally  as  you  speak  it.  You 
were  trained  to  say  it  correctly  when  you  were  very 
young;  you  can  train  yourself  to  write  it  correctly,  now 
that  you  are  older.  As  you  have  noticed  in  reading,  and 
as  you  began  to  learn  in  the  first  and  second  grades, 
ownership  and  possession  are  shown  in  writing  by  putting 
V  after  a  name,  as  in  the  following: 


John's  ball 
Hilda's  dress 
mama's  pony 
Louis'  birds 

the  girl's  doll 
the  man's  trunk 
the  bird's  song 
James'  pencil 

Mary's  book 
Myron's  ink 
the  horse's  tail 
Charles'  pen 

38  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Notice  that  in  writing  Louis'  birds,  James'  pencil, 
Charles'  pen  the  apostrophe  only  is  added.  You  will 
see  why  if  you  try  to  say  Louis's.  How  awkward  that  is. 
It  is  because  these  names  end  in  s  and  a  second  s  cannot 
be  pronounced  easily  after  it. 

If  you  could  write  the  possessive  form  as  often  as 
you  speak  it,  you  would  learn  in  a  week's  time  always 
to  write  it  correctly.  Write  it  a  large  number  of  times, 
over  and  over,  using  different  names  and  objects. 

Write  the  name  of  every  pupil  in  the  room,  with 
something  that  he  possesses;  as,  Harry's  new  coat, 
Mol lie's  broken  doll. 

Write  the  names  of  ten  persons  that  you  know, 
with  something  possessed  or  owned  by  them. 

Write  the  names  of  several  of  your  relatives,  with 
something  owned  by  them;  as,  father's  boots,  my  aunt's 
parrot. 

Write  the  names  of  animals  with  something  that 
they  have. 

Keep  up  this  exercise  until  you  write  the  's  just  as 
readily  as  you  speak  it. 

PLURALS19 

Long  ago,  as  little  children,  you  learned  how  to 
speak  of  one  object  and  of  more  than  one.  If  you  saw 
a  cat,  you  said  cat\  if  you  saw  two,  you  said  cats.  It 
was  the  same  with  dog,  dogs;  boy,  boys;  ball,  balls.  It 
took  longer  to  learn  to  say  man,  men;  child,  children; 
goose,  geese;  but  you  have  learned  to  use  correctly  the 
names  of  most  of  the  things  around  you. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  39 

First  of  all,  let  us  have  the  correct  words  to  use  in 
speaking  of  these  changes,  for  that  is  more  convenient. 
When  speaking  of  one  thing,  we  say  that  the  word  is  in 
the  singular  number;  if  speaking  of  two  or  more  things, 
we  say  that  the  word  is  in  the  -plural  number.  Singular, 
in  this  sense,  means  alone,  single,  one.  Plural  means 
more  than  one. 

Copy  the  words  below,  and  where  the  singular  is 
given,  put  the  plural  in  the  opposite  column;  where  the 
plural  is  given,  write  the  singular  in  the  opposite  column. 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

book 

hats 
flower 
bird  


child 


grasses 
trees 


oxen 


Write  in  both  the  singular  and  the  plural  the  names 
of  ten  objects  around  you. 

REVIEW   LESSONS 

Notice  some  of  the  things  that  you  say  or  that  you 
hear  said.  Can  you  find  among  them  ten  expressions  like 
these:  "ain't  got  no  dog,"  "ain't  done  nothing"  or  "hain't 
got  no  pony"  ^  Write  them  correctly. 

Write  nine  sentences  using  those  in  place  of  them 
in  such  expressions  as  "them  boys,"  "them  books." 

Write  five  sentences  with  broken. 

Write  five  sentences  with  spoken. 

Write  five  sentences  with  written. 

Write  three  quotations. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  41 


COMPOSITION20 

Do  not  try  to  write  very  much  at  a  time;  one  loses 
interest  by  getting  tired.  Write  for  fifteen  minutes,  fin- 
ishing one  part  of  the  story  in  that  time.  Another  part 
can  be  written  the  next  day. 

Tell  the  story  of  the  history  lesson  in  your  own 
words. 

Tell  the  story  of  the  science  talk  for  the  week  in 
your  own  words. 

Tell  some  story  that  you  have  heard  recently. 

What  eager  looking  puppies  in  the  picture  on  the 
opposite  page!  What  are  they  waiting  for?  Do  you 
think  they  are  really  hungry*?  Do  they  look  as  if  they 
usually  had  plenty  to  eat?  What  do  you  think  they  will 
have  for  breakfast?  Who  may  feed  them?  If  you  could 
have  one  of  these  puppies  for  your  own,  which  one  would 
you  choose?  Why?  Write  about  these  puppies  and  their 
breakfast. 

Write  a  letter  asking  a  friend  to  come  to  an  after- 
noon party.  Tell  what  the  party  is  for,  at  what  time  it 
begins,  and  when  it  ends.  Write  this  in  your  own  lan- 
guage, as  you  would  tell  it  to  your  friend  in  school. 

Write  a  letter  telling  one  of  the  boys  that  you  are 
going  skating,  fishing  or  hunting.  Ask  him  to  go  along. 
Tell  him  what  to  bring.  Say  anything  else  about  the 
trip  that  you  think  he  should  know. 

Write  about  something  that  you  have  seen  lately. 
It  may  be  a  deserted  bird's  nest,  torn  and  ragged.  Per- 
haps the  nest  is  in  good  shape.  Do  you  think  the  birds 


42  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

will  use  it  again  next  year"?  How  was  it  made"?  Could 
a  boy  make  one  like  if?  Did  you  ever  try  to  help  a  bird 
build  her  nest  by  giving  her  something  to  work  with? 

Write  about  some  accident  that  you  have  seen.  Has 
some  one  had  a  fall  from  his  bicycle"?  Has  a  swing 
broken  when  a  child  was  in  it*?  Have  you  stumbled 
when  you  were  carrying  something4? 

If  you  write  your  paper  in  the  morning,  take  it  in 
the  afternoon  and  find  how  many  mistakes  you  made. 
You  know  that  every  one  makes  mistakes,  especially  if 
very  interested  in  what  he  is  writing,  for  then  he  may- 
forget  commas,  and  even  capitals  and  periods.  He  does 
not  use  the  right  word  in  the  right  place,  or,  later,  he  can 
think  of  a  better  one.  Sometimes  he  finds  that  he  might 
put  two  sentences  together  and  make  the  whole  sound 
better;  or  he  should  leave  out  something  that  does  not 
belong  to  the  thought  or  the  story  that  he  is  telling. 
Every  one  has  to  read  over  what  he  has  written  to  see  if 
he  can  make  it  better.  See  what  you  can  do  with  your 
paper  every  time  you  write  one.  You  will  be  surprised 
to  find  how  much  you  can  improve  it  and  how  you  will 
enjoy  making  the  changes. 

The  teacher  of  a  third  grade,  in  Stockton,  California, 
told  her  class  the  story  of  Miles  Standish,  taking  it  from 
Longfellow's  poem.  She  was  a  good  story-teller,  who 
gave  the  interesting  parts  of  the  poem  in  "word  pictures" 
that  were  a  constant  delight  to  the  pupils.  The  children 
wrote  what  they  could  remember  of  the  teacher's  stories. 
The  following  is  a  paper  written  by  one  of  the  pupils  in 
this  class:11 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  43 

MILES  STANDISH 

In  a  little  log  cabin  Miles  Standish  walked  to  and  fro  in  a 
room  where  his  war  things  were.  With  his  hands  behind  him, 
he  was  buried  in  thought.  He  paused  now  and  then  to  look  at 
his  glittering  musket. 

Miles  Standish  was  a  short  man,  and  broad-shouldered, 
deep-chested.  Miles  Standish  had  a  reddish  brown  beard. 
Miles  Standish  wore  short  trousers  to  his  knees  and  boots  of 
Cordova  leather. 

At  a  pine  table  by  the  window  John  Alden  his  friend  and 
household  companion  sat. 

John  Alden  had  blue  eyes  and  light  hair  and  he  was  tall. 
John  Alden  was  the  youngest  grown-up  man  that  came  along 
with  the  Pilgrims. 

Now  I  shall  tell  you  something  that  Miles  Standish  said  to 
John  Alden  as  he  looked  at  his  weapons.  "See  how  they 
glitter.  It  is  because  I  did  it.  When  you  do  a  thing  yourself 
it  is  well  done." 


FOURTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 
VERBS 

Arrangement   of    all    the    verbs   of    the   preceding 
months 
Know,  grow,  throw,  blow,  fly,  draw 

PLURALS 

Many  common  nouns,  listed  according  to  the  way  in 
which  the  plural  is  formed 

QUOTATIONS 

SYNONYMS  AND  OPPOSITES 

REVIEW  LESSONS 

COMPOSITION 

Reproduction 
Original  writing 
Corrections 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


45 


VERBS 

Before  taking  up  the  new  verbs  that  we  are  to  study 
this  month,  let  us  write  and  arrange  the  four  forms  of 
all  that  we  have  studied  so  far  this  year.  Do  you  know 
all  these  forms'?  More  important  still,  do  you  use  them 
correctly^  It  is  of  little  use  to  know  the  right  form  of 
a  verb  if  you  do  not  use  it  correctly. 

Below  are  the  four  forms  of  all  the  verbs  that  you 
have  studied.  Those  that  are  alike  have  been  arranged 
together,  because  it  is  easier  to  remember  them  that  way. 
Copy  the  present  form  of  all  these  verbs  and  then  write 
the  other  three  forms  without  looking  at  the  book.  After 
you  have  done  this,  write  all  four  forms  until  you  know 
them  perfectly. 


FOURTH  FORM 
broken 
spoken 
written 

taught 
brought 

given 

eaten 

seen 

bitten 

taken 

done 
gone 
come 
kept 


The  new  verbs  for  this  month  are:    throw,  blow, 
grow,  know,  fly  and  draw.     They  are  so  much  alike  that 


PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

break 

broke 

breaking 

speak 

spoke 

speaking 

write 

wrote 

writing 

teach 

taught 

teaching 

bring 

brought 

bringing 

give 

gave 

giving 

eat 

ate 

eating 

see 

saw 

seeing 

bite 

bit 

biting 

take 

took 

taking 

do 

did 

doing 

go 

went 

going 

come 

came 

coming 

keep 

kept 

keeping 

46  GRADED  LKSSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

they  can  be  learned  more  easily  together  than  if  taken 
one  at  a  time.  Before  studying  the  list  given  below,  see 
if  you  can  give  the  four  forms  of  each  of  these  verbs: 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD   FORM  FOURTH   FORM 

throw  threw  throwing  thrown 

blow  blew  blowing  blown 

grow  grew  growing  grown 

know  knew  knowing  known 

fly  flew  flying  flown 

draw  drew  drawing  drawn 

Do  you  know  what  mistakes  children  and  man} 
older  persons  make  in  the  use  of  these  verbs?  Perhaps 
you  have  heard  some  one  say,  "The  wind  blowed,"  for 
the  wind  blew;  or,  "He  throwed  his  hat  on  the  ground," 
for  he  threw  his  hat  on  the  ground;  or,  "The  child 
growed  fast,"  for  the  child  grew  fast.  In  which  form 
are  these  mistakes  made?  In  the  second,  or  the  past 
tense.  Did  you  ever  hear  any  one  say,  "The  wind  has 
blowed  all  night,"  instead  of  the  wind  has  blown  all 
night?  Other  mistakes  are  made  with  these  verbs,  but 
we  will  now  drill  on  correct  use.  As  most  mistakes  are 
made  in  the  second  and  fourth  forms,  you  should  study 
them  carefully.  Give  many  short  sentences  like  the 
following:" 

The  wind  blew  a  tree  down.  A  bird  flew  over  my  head. 
He  grew  fast.  I  knew  that  he  would  come.  You  blew  my 
card  off  the  desk.  A  robin  Hew  into  the  room. 

The  bird  has  flown  high  into  the  air.  He  has  known  me 
for  a  year.  You  htive  grown  two  inches  since  T  saw  yon  last. 
The  wind  has  never  blown  so  hard. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  47 


PLURALS2' 

As  you  know  already,  there  is  more  than  one  way 
of  forming  the  plural.  We  say:  boy,  boys;  box,  boxes; 
child,  children;  goose,  geese;  sheep,  sheep.  So  there 
are  five  ways  of  forming  the  plural.  They  are:  by 
adding  s;  by  adding  es;  by  putting  an  ending  to  the 
singular  form;  by  using  a  different  word;  by  using  the 
same  word  for  both  forms. 

On  paper  or  on  the  board  have  five  columns,  one  for 
each  form  of  the  plural,  like  this: 

boy       boys  box       boxes  sheep       sheep 

child      children  goose      geese 

Write  the  plural  of  twenty-five  words,  being  sure 
to  have  some  words  in  every  column.  You  will  soon  see 
that  there  are  many  more  words  to  go  in  some  columns 
than  in  others. 

QUOTATIONS24 

Here  is  a  sentence  that  was  used  when  you  last 
studied  quotations:  Papa  said,  "Where  are  your  books 9  " 
You  have  learned  to  write  it  correctly  in  this  way,  but 
you  know  that  you  often  change  your  sentences  around. 
Change  the  one  just  used  to,  "Where  are  your  books?  " 
said  papa. 

Has  the  meaning  been  changed?  Not  at  all.  Are 
the  same  words  used  by  papa?  Exactly  the  same.  Has 
the  quotation  still  its  "frame"  of  quotation  marks?  Cer- 
tainly, for  every  quotation  must  be  inclosed  by  quota- 
tion marks.  Then  what  is  the  difference?  The  sentence 


48  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

is  arranged  differently,  and  the  punctuation  is  changed. 
In  the  sentence — Papa  said,  "Where  are  your  books'?  " — 
the  interrogation  point  is  at  the  end  of  the  whole  sentence ; 
but  that  is  because  it  belongs  to  the  quotation,  and  the 
quotation  is  the  last  part  of  the  sentence.  In — "Where 
are  your  books  *?"  said  papa — the  quotation  comes  first  in 
the  sentence,  so  a  period  is  at  the  end,  after  papa  said. 
In  the  first  sentence  there  is  a  comma  after  papa  said,  to 
separate  those  words  from  the  quotation;  but  in  the 
second  sentence  the  interrogation  point  at  the  end  of 
the  quotation  is  all  that  is  needed  to  separate  the  two 
parts  of  the  sentence.  These  are  merely  common-sense 
changes.  Arrange  the  following  sentences  in  different 
ways,  making  the  necessary  changes  in  punctuation: 

Harold  said,  "Where  are  my  gloves  ?" 
Mary  cried,  "You  will  be  too  late !" 
James  said,  "I  am  not  going  today." 

Still  other  changes  can  be  made. 

The  teacher  said,  "Yes,  you  may  get  it  now." 
"Yes,  you  may  get  it  now,"  said  the  teacher. 
"Yes,"  said  the  teacher,  "you  may  get  it  now." 

The  meaning  is  the  same  in  these  three  sentences, 
but  the  arrangement  is  different.  The  first  and  second 
sentences  are  arranged  like  the  quotation  just  studied.. 
In  the  third  sentence,  said  the  teacher  is  in  the  middle  of 
the  quotation.  See  what  happens.  Of  course,  all  that 
the  teacher  says  must  be  inclosed  with  quotation  marks, 
but  there  must  be  nothing  inside  of  them  except  the 
words  of  the  teacher.  This  means  that  yes  must  have 
its  "frame,"  that  said  the  teacher  must  be  left  out  of 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  49 

the  "frame";  and  that  you  may  get  it  now  must  have 
its  "frame"  of  quotation  marks.  All  that  this  means  is 
that  two  sets  of  quotation  marks  are  necessary  to  inclose 
all  of  the  quotation,  and  that  two  commas  are  used,  one 
after  yes  and  one  before  you  may  get  it  now.  The  quo- 
tation has  been  broken  into  two  parts,  and  each  part 
should  be  treated  like  a  complete  quotation.  "Yes,"  said 
the  teacher,  "you  may  get  it  now."  Notice  that  a  capital 
letter  is  used  at  the  beginning  of  the  quotation,  but  not 
for  the  first  word  of  the  second  part. 

Break  the  following  quotations  into  two  parts,  using 
the  quotation  marks  and  punctuating  as  needed: 

John  said,  "I  shall  go  today  and  you  may  come  to- 
morrow." 

"We  are  coming  home  because  father  is  sick,"  Willie 
wrote. 

"I  can  get  up  if  you  will  help  me,"  said  the  girl. 

SYNONYMS    AND    OPPOSITES 

Find  words  that  mean  about  the  same  as  the  itali- 
cized words  in  the  following  sentences: 

He  was  in  great  haste.  The  bird  was  Hitting  through 
the  branches.  He  was  looking  at  his  dog.  The  flowers  are 
fading.  You  can  close  the  door  easily.  He  is  interested  in  the 
story. 

Take  five  words  from  the  reader,  and  see  if  you  can 
think  of  five  other  words  that  have  about  the  same 
meaning. 

Find  words  that  mean  the  opposite  of  those  itali- 
cized, in  the  following  sentences: 


50  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

That  is  an  interesting  story.     This  peach  is  soft.     Do  you 
like  to  hear  the  frogs  croak?     The  railroad  train  moves  quickly. 


REVIEW    LESSONS25 

Write  a  statement  (a  telling  sentence)  about  your 
father. 

Ask  a  question  about  your  father. 

Write  an  exclamation  about  your  father,  saying 
that  he  is  hurt,  sick  or  has  surprised  you. 

What  punctuation  mark  have  you  used  at  the  end 
of  the  statement?  of  the  question?  of  the  exclamation? 


COMPOSITION 

Write  the  story  of  one  of  your  lessons.  Make  it  as 
interesting  as  you  can,  but  try  to  tell  it  as  you  read  it  or 
heard  it. 

A  poem  is  often  a  story  told  in  rhyme.  Think  out 
the  story  in  some  poem  that  you  like,  and  write  it  as  you 
would  prose.  Thoughts  are  turned  around  sometimes  in 
poetry,  but  you  can  tell  them  in  your  paper  as  you  would 
if  they  were  in  a  story.  Copy  one  or  two  stanzas  of  a 
poem  that  you  enjoy,  looking  out  for  the  lines  and  capital 
letters. 

It  is  a  fine  thing  to  be  able  to  tell  what  we  have  read 
or  heard  told;  but  it  is  still  better  to  be  able  to  give  our 
own  thoughts  in  good  language,  for  then  both  the  thoughts 
and  the  wording  of  them  are  our  own.  To  tell  anything, 
we  must  first  have  something  to  tell.  Did  you  ever 
notice  how  many  interesting  things  can  be  said  of  many 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  51 

subjects'?  Think  of  some  of  the  subjects  that  follow. 
Write  your  thoughts  as  naturally  as  you  would  speak 
them.  The  next  day  read  the  paper  over  to  see  if  you  can 
improve  it  anywhere,  or  to  find  out  if  you  have  made 
any  mistakes  in  spelling,  capitals  or  punctuation. 

Have  you  a  pet  animal  at  home — a  dog,  bird,  horse 
or  goat4?  What  can  he  do4?  Why  do  you  like  him?  Has 
he  a  good  temper1?  Does  he  love  you4?  Who  cares  for 
him?  If  you  tell  us  these  things  about  your  pet,  it  will 
surely  be  interesting  reading. 

Look  at  the  picture  on  the  next  page.  Did  you 
ever  blow  soap  bubbles'?  How  do  you  do  it*?  How  do 
you  prepare  the  water?  What  kind  of  a  pipe  should  you 
have?  Why  do  most  children,  and  some  grown  persons, 
like  to  blow  soap  bubbles?  Do  you  like  to?  Tell  about 
blowing  soap  bubbles,  or  else  tell  about  this  interesting 
picture  on  the  next  page. 

When  does  Christmas  come?  Do  you  like  to  receive 
presents?  Do  you  like  to  give  them?  What  else  do  you 
enjoy  about  Christmas  time? 

Here  is  a  letter  written  by  a  third-grade  boy: 

524  W.  Newmarket  St., 

San  Francisco,  Cal., 

Dec.  26,  1906. 
Dear  Lawrence : 

I  have  received  a  watch  that  you  sent  me.  I  wanted  a 
watch.  I  will  wear  it  all  the  time  and  take  good  care  of  it.  I 
wish  you  a  Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year. 

Your  loving1  friend, 

Fritz  Handel. 


SOAP    BUBBLES 


ELIZABETH  GARDNER 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  53 

In  a  third-grade  class  the  teacher  said,  "Close  your 
eyes  and  listen  to  me.  On  Christmas  eve,  when  the  house 

was  still There  she  stopped,  told  the  children  to 

think  out  the  rest  of  the  picture,  and  to  make  a  story  of 
it  on  paper.  Here  are  some  of  the  stories,  almost  as 
they  were  handed  in  by  the  children;  they  were  written 
in  eight  minutes,  but  every  child  had  in  mind  a  picture 
to  describe: 

On  Christmas  eve  when  the  house  was  still  Santa  Claus 
came  over  the  house.  He  stopped  and  looked  at  his  book  that 
had  the  names  of  all  good  children. 

The  child  that  lived  here  was  good  all  the  year,  but  when 
Santa  Claus  got  down  the  chimney  he  began  to  feel  hot.  When 
he  got  down  a  little  farther  he  got  warmer  still ;  and  when  he 
got  down  just  a  little  farther  his  coat  began  to  burn.  So  he 
got  quickly  to  the  top  of  the  house  and  found  that  he  had 
taken  the  wrong  chimney.  He  took  the  chimney  that  went  to 
the  furnace  instead  of  the  one  that  went  to  the  grate. 

Got  is  used  too  frequently.  What  words  can  you 
use  in  its  place4? 

On  Christmas  eve  when  the  house  was  still  there  was  a 
low  whisper  in  the  sitting-room.  I  looked,  and  there  was 
Santa  Claus  and  near  him  was  a  little  mouse.  This  is  what 
they  said : 

"What  are  you  going  to  bring  the  children?"  asked  the 
mouse. 

"I  am  going  to  bring  the  boy  a  drum  and  the  girl  a  doll," 
said  Santa  Claus. 

Just  then  I  showed  my  face  in  the  sitting-room  door,  and 
Santa  Claus  disappeared  up  the  chimney.  I  looked  up  the 
chimney  after  him,  but  a  big  chunk  of  soot  came  tumbling 
down  and  I  wished  that  I  had  never  tried  that  experiment. 


£4  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Here  is  a  letter  to  Santa  Claus,  written  by  a  third- 
grade  boy: 

Linda  Vista,  Cal., 

Dec.  14,  1906. 
Dear  Santa  Claus : 

It  is  about  time  for  you  to  come,  so  I  thought  I  would 
write  you  a  letter.  I  have  two  sisters  but  I  have  no  brothers. 

I  hope  you  will  come  to  our  house,  but  if  you  come  down 
the  chimney  you  will  fall  into  the  stove,  so  come  in  the  window. 

Will  you  please  bring  me  a  horn,  also  a  drum.  Then  I 
want  a  cabinet  for  my  birds'  eggs  and  a  magic  lantern.  I  am 
eight  years  old  and  my  big  sister  is  five  years  old.  My  little 
sister  is  three  years  old. 

My  sister  wants  a  little  stove,  a  doll,  some  doll  clothes 
and  a  set  of  dishes. 

My  little  sister  wants  a  doll,  a  story  book  and  a  new 
dress.  My  father  wants  some  clothes  and  my  mother  wants  a 
new  dress. 

I  must  close  my  letter  now  because  I  have  nothing  else  to 
write.  Donald  McAllister, 

1409  East  Hope  St., 

Linda  Vista,  Cal. 


FIFTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Buy,  eat,  dig 
Present  participles 

PUNCTUATION 

Names  of  business  firms 
Use  of  hyphen 

POSSESSIVES 

CAPITAL  LETTERS 

With  proper  nouns 

ADJECTIVES 
ADVERBS 
REVIEW  LESSONS 

COMPOSITION 

Reproduction 
Picture  stories 
Word  pictures 
Sentence  structure 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


56  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS2" 

BUY 
PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

buy  bought  buying  bought 

Are  these  the  forms  that  you  are  using?  Do  you 
know  of  any  mistake  that  is  made  in  using  this  verb? 
Children  often  say,  "I  buyed  it,"  because  they  have  not 
yet  learned  that  there  is  the  word  bought.  Older  persons 
often  make  the  same  mistake.  Of  what  other  verbs  does 
it  remind  you?  Here  is  a  list  of  those  you  know  that 
are  alike  in  the  past  tense: 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

bring  brought  bringing  brought 

buy  bought  buying  bought 

teach  taught  teaching  taught 

EAT 

What  is  the  second  form  of  this  verb?  Are  you 
using  it?  What  are  you  saying  when  you  use  have,  has 
or  had?  You  have  not  gone  back  to  "have  et,"  have  you? 
Finish  the  following  sentences  by  using  ate  or  eaten: 

My  apple  is  -  — .  I  have  -  -  my  piece  of  pie.  Have 
you  your  cake?  Yes,  I  it  at  noon. 

Write  five  sentences  with  the  word  ate;  five  with 
have  or  has  eaten. 

What  is  the  fourth  form  of  bite?  With  what  seven 
words  can  we  use  it?  Write  seven  sentences  to  show 
that  you  can  use  them  all  correctly. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  57 

What  is  the  second  form  of  give?  Write  five  sen- 
tences using  that  form.  What  words  can  we  put  in  to 
show  that  we  mean  something  that  happened  in  the  past^ 

What  is  the  fourth  form  of  give?  Write  four  sen- 
tences using  it. 


DIG 

PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

FOURTH  FORM 

dig 

dug 

digging 

dug 

Do  you  see  what  mistake  is  often  made  in  the  use 
of  this  verb?  Not  every  child  knows  that  there  is  such 
a  word  as  dug.  There  is,  and  it  is  used  in  the  past  tense, 
and  with  have  and  has  in  the  fourth  form.  Give  several 
sentences  using  it. 


PRESENT    PARTICIPLES27 


The  third  form  of  a  verb  always  ends  in  ing,  as  you 
know.  It  is  called  the  present  participle.  So  far,  little 
has  been  said  about  this  form,  but  it  is  one  of  the  pleasant 
parts  of  a  verb  to  use,  for  it  often  adds  a  great  deal  to 
the  way  of  arranging  a  sentence. 

If  you  still  have  your  list  of  all  the  verbs  studied 
this  year,  look  at  it.  Take  the  third  forms  of  the  verbs 
and  make  sentences  in  which  you  can  use  them.  See  how 
many  ways  you  can  use  one  word,  as: 

The  bird  was  flying.  I  saw  the  flying  bird.  I  saw  the 
bird  flying  in  the  air.  Flying  was  hard  in  the  strong  wind. 

Try  this  with  growing,  knowing,  writing,  eating.  It 
is  worth  much  to  be  able  to  use  one  word  in  many  differ- 
ent ways. 


58  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PUNCTUATION 

Have  you  ever  noticed  how  the  names  of  business 
firms  are  written*?  You  know  that  two  or  three  men  are 
often  together  in  business,  but  have  you  ever  looked  to 
see  how  they  write  the  name  of  their  firm?  Are  any 
periods  used*?  Are  any  commas  used?  Is  and  written 
out  or  is  the  sign  &  used?  Where  are  the  capital  letters? 
Are  the  names  of  firms  written  in  the  same  way  in  news- 
papers as  over  the  doors  of  business  houses?  Look  and 
see,  and  then  write  out  the  names  of  a  half  dozen  firms. 
If  possible,  think  of  a  firm  of  three  men.  You  can  find 
many  firms  with  two  names,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  firms 
with  four  names.  Write  these  in  this  way:  Wing  & 
Little.  Jones,  Hanner  &  Menton. 


HYPHEN 

When  we  are  writing,  we  often  find  that  there  is 
room  to  begin  a  word  on  a  line  but  not  to  finish  it  there. 
In  such  a  case,  it  is  all  right  to  divide  the  word,  but  this 
must  be  between  syllables.  Look  in  your  reader,  or  any 
other  book,  to  find  words  that  are  begun  on  one  line  and 
finished  on  another.  Notice  the  little  mark  at  the  end  of 
the  line.  It  says  that  a  word  has  been  broken  in  two. 
This  short  line  is  called  a  hyphen.  It  is  put  after  the  part 
of  the  word  at  the  end  of  a  line,  never  before  the  part 
at  the  beginning  of  a  line. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  59 

Divide  the  following  words  into  syllables,  putting 
in  the  hyphen: 


win-ter 

com-ing 

go-ing 

ear-ly 

morn-ing 

story 

lesson 

paper 

lately 

earning 

little 

robin 

sometimes 

away 

before 

waiting 

fingers 

mother 

father 

composition 

Take  twenty  words  from  your  reading,  or  any  that 
you  can  think  of,  and  divide  them  into  their  syllables. 
One  word  may  have  many  syllables.  A  word  should 
never  be  divided  except  between  its  syllables. 

POSSESSIVES 
I  see  John.     I  see  John's  hat. 

Look  around  the  room  and  notice  some  pupil.  Write 
a  sentence  using  that  pupil's  name  with  something  owned 
by  him.  As,  /  see  John's  hat. 

Write  five  sentences  about  pupils  and  something  that 
they  possess. 

Write  five  sentences  about  persons  you  know,  who 
are  not  pupils,  using  the  possessive. 

Write  three  about  some  of  your  pets,  using  the 
possessive. 

CAPITAL    LETTERS28 

You  already  know  some  uses  of  capital  letters.  There 
are  others  that  you  are  now  going  to  learn  about.  Read 
over  the  following  sentences,  noticing  the  capital  letters: 

What  is  John  doing  with  his  pony  ?  He  is  going  to  ride 
him  to  San  Francisco.  When  will  he  go?  He  will  go  Tues- 
day or  Wednesday.  It  is  too  warm  in  September  to  ride  so 
far.  I  would  go  if  I  had  a  pony. 


60  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

John  is  the  name  of  a  certain  boy.  San  Francisco  is 
the  name  of  a  certain  city.  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  are 
the  names  of  certain  days  of  the  week.  September  is  the 
name  of  a  certain  month.  All  these  words  begin  with 
capital  letters,  because  they  point  out  a  special  boy,  city, 
day  or  month.  Pony  does  not  begin  with  a  capital  let- 
ter, because  we  use  that  word  of  any  pony.  But  suppose 
we  ask,  What  is  John  doing  with  Dick,  his  pony?  Dick 
is  now  the  name  of  this  special  pony,  and  it,  too,  begins 
with  a  capital  letter.  /  is  always  a  capital  when  it  stands 
for  me,  myself.  Even  first-grade  children  learn  that  the 
first  word  of  every  sentence  and  of  every  line  of  poetry 
begins  with  a  capital  letter. 

Copy  a  stanza  of  a  poem,  noting  capitals. 

There  is  another  use  of  capital  letters,  but  it  is  so 
much  like  some  of  those  already  learned  that  you  will 
have  no  difficulty  with  it.  When  you  think  of  Thanks- 
giving Day  does  it  seem  like  all  the  other  days  of  the 
year?  Of  course  not.  Does  Christmas?  Or  Fourth  of 
July?  Certainly  not.  Each  day  stands  out  by  itself, 
one  of  the  great  days  of  the  year.  Can  you  mention  any 
other  important  holidays  of  the  year?  Labor  Day,  Dec- 
oration Day.  All  these  mean  a  certain  day  of  the  year, 
and  cannot  mean  any  other,  so  they  are  always  begun 
with  capital  letters. 

Can  you  think  of  any  other  words  that  point  out 
special  things,  and  must  have  capital  letters?  The 
names  of  streets — Main  Street,  Broadway,  Center  Street, 
Ninth  Avenue.  The  names  of  steamers — Captain  Weber, 
Transport,  Lusitania. 

Write  ten  sentences,  each  one  having  the  name  of 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  61 

some  special  person  or  day  or  object,  and  begin  each  name 
with  a  capital  letter. 

Read  a  paragraph  in  one  of  the  readers,  and  tell  why 
certain  words  have  capital  letters. 


ADJECTIVES29 

We  often  wish  to  describe  objects  and  persons. 
There  are  words  for  this  purpose,  and  you  probably  know 
many  of  them.  Use  some  descriptive  words  (adjectives) 
with  the  following  names  of  objects  (nouns)  : 

doll  friend  watch  fountain-pen 

tree  fur  sewing-box  present 

spoon  wagon  piano  photograph 

girl  boy  dog  river 

A  pretty  little  doll.        A  nice  new  sewing-box.  A  beautiful  river. 

Every  one  uses  pretty,  nice,  beautiful,  so  here  they 
are  in  these  three  sentences.  See  if  you  can  use  other 
words  in  their  places.  Pretty,  nice  and  beautiful  are  good 
words  to  use,  but  we  hear  them  so  many  times  a  day  that 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  learn  others.  Here  are  some — a  tall, 
graceful  girl;  a  deep,  mirror-like  river. 

An  excellent  way  to  learn  new  adjectives,  as  these 
descriptive  words  are  called,  is  to  notice  them  in  reading, 
make  a  list  of  them  and  give  sentences  in  which  they  are 
used.  Use  the  following  adjectives: 

interesting  queer  pitch-black 

lonely  savage  purple 

soft  silk  cool 

pleasant  curious  polite 

Can  you  think  of  ten  other  adjectives?     Use  them 


62  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

in   sentences,    the   only   place   where   we   get   their   full 
meaning. 

ADVERBS30 

Here  are  some  of  the  words  that  you  have  just  been 
using  to  describe  persons,  objects  or  things: 

soft  queer  curious         polite  beautiful 

pleasant        savage          cool  nice  pretty 

Let  us  see  if  we  can  use  these  words  to  describe 
actions ;  that  is,  to  tell  how  we  do  anything. 

It  is  not  correct  to  say,  she  writes  beautiful.  We 
should  say,  she  writes  beautifully. 

The  dog  barked  savage-/}/.  The  woman  spoke  pleasant-/}1. 
She  plays  the  piano  soft-/}'.  The  man  spoke  polite-/}'.  The 
bird  is  singing  beautiful-/}'.  How  nice-^  you  write.  Her  doll 
is  dressed  pretti-/}'.  He  treated  the  man  cool-/}'.  That  horse 
acts  queer-/}1.  He  looked  at  us  curious-/}'. 

In  every  sentence  this  word  that  we  want  to  use  takes 
ly.  That  is  because  we  use  it  to  describe  an  action.  It 
describes  a  verb,  and  is  called  an  adverb.  Nearly  all 
adverbs  end  in  ly. 

Use  the  following  words  in  sentences  to  tell  how 
something  is  done: 

sweetly  loudly  neatly  frequently 

slowly  easily  plainly  severely 

quietly  fast  often  kindly 

The  following  words  are  like  those  above,  except 
that  ly  is  dropped.  This  changes  them  to  adjectives: 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  -      63 

sweet  loud  neat  frequent 

slow  easy  plain  severe 

quiet  fast  kind 

Use  these  adjectives  to  describe  objects. 

You  see  that  an  adverb  can  often  be  changed  to  an 
adjective  by  dropping  the  syllable  ly. 


REVIEW    LESSONS 

Do  not  say  "kin"  for  can;  "gettum"  for  get  them; 
"pome"  for  po-em.  Notice  how  you  talk,  and  bring  into 
class  five  of  these  childish,  careless  pronunciations.  You 
need  not  feel  sensitive  about  doing  this,  for  nearly  every 
one  has  some  of  these  careless  habits  of  pronunciation. 
Try  to  find  out  what  yours  are,  and  get  rid  of  them  as 
rapidly  as  possible. 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell  the  story  of  the  science  lesson.  Tell  the  story 
of  the  history  talk.  Tell  the  story  of  a  poem. 

PICTURE   STORIES3' 

Choose  a  picture  in  a  paper,  story-book  or  magazine, 
and  tell  the  story  that  you  see  in  it.  Never  mind  what 
some  one  else  has  told  about  it.  See  in  it  the  story  that 
you  would  like  to  tell,  and  then  write  it  easily  and 
naturally. 


G.   H.   SW1NSTEAD 


MORNING    GREETING 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  65 

In  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page  a  girl  is  going 
out  early  in  the  morning.  What  has  she  in  her  hand4? 
Where  do  you  think  she  may  be  going?  Why  does  the 
calf  come  up  to  her?  Does  it  seem  afraid?  Doe's  it  seem 
to  like  her?  What  do  the  geese  want?  Do  they  look  as 
if  they  are  talking  to  her?  What  can  they  say?  What 
do  you  think  they  try  to  tell  the  little  girl? 

WORD  PICTURES 

tormenting.  As  I  write  this  word  I  see  a  picture. 
Do  you?  What  do  you  see,  or  think  about?  Write  it. 

Dog,  cat,  ran.  Do  these  three  words  suggest  a 
story?  Write  it  as  you  see  it. 

Popcorn.  This  word  immediately  tells  me  two  or 
three  stories.  Can  you  write  one  about  it? 


SENTENCE  STRUCTURED 


Children  often  write  very  short  sentences,  or  else 
they  put  their  thoughts  together  with  and,  but,  then. 
Older  persons,  who  have  learned  more  about  speaking  and 
writing,  make  longer  sentences,  but  they  are  well  fastened 
together.  Some  of  your  thoughts  are  now  long  and 
interesting,  and  you  must  be  learning  to  express  them  in 
well-made  sentences. 

You  have  learned  that  every  sentence  should  have 
one  thought  only,  but  notice  these  two  sentences:  My 
brother  came  home  last  night.  I  was  at  my  aunt's  when 
he  came.  Here  are  two  thoughts,  each  in  a  sentence  by 
itself.  Suppose  we  express  these  two  thoughts  this  way: 
My  brother  came  home  last  night  while  I  was  at  my 
aunt's. 


66  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Are  both  thoughts  in  this  last  sentence*?  Yes,  but 
they  are  no  longer  two  thoughts.  They  have  become  one. 
How"?  Because  the  second  thought  has  been  woven  into 
the  first  in  such  a  way  that  it  has  become  part  of  it.  This 
was  done  by  using  the  word  -while,  thus  fitting  the  sen- 
tences together.  Put  together  the  sentences  given  below 
in  pairs  by  using  one  of  these  words :  while,  when,  because, 
for. 

The  dog  ran  away  from  home  yesterday.  He  did  not 
like  to  be  tied  up  every  night. 

I  wrote  my  spelling  five  times.     I  wrote  it  in  school. 

My  language  was  not  written  well.  I  had  to  write  it 
over. 

The  boy  went  to  college.  He  learned  a  great  deal  in 
college. 

Sometimes  we  can  put  sentences  together  by  using 
who,  which  or  that.  Do  this  with  the  following  sentences : 

The  flowers  were  in  the  vase.     They  were  very  pretty. 
The  man  is  blind.     He  has  a  dog. 
The  beggar  has  a  dog.     The  dog  is  big  and  cross. 
Clark  has  a  new  knife.     His  father  bought  it  last  night. 
Mary's  aunt  lives  in  San  Francisco.     Her  aunt  is  a  very 
rich  woman. 

My  ball  is  lost.     It  is  big  and  red. 

My  bird  is  gone.     My  father  gave  me  the  bird. 

Here  are  some  letters  and  papers  written  by  third- 
grade  children : 

214  E.  Lindsay  St., 

Stockton,  Cal., 

Jan.  14,  1906. 
Dear  Bernice : 

I  am  going  to  a  lady's  house  this  afternoon,  will  you  come 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  67 

with  me?  There  was  a  cloudburst  up  in  the  mountains,  that  is 
why  the  river  is  so  full.  I  am  going  home  to  San  Francisco 
next  month.  I  will  close  now. 

Your  friend, 

Edna  Menton. 

604  E.  Market  St., 

Los  Angeles,  Cal., 

Dec.   12,  1906. 
Dear  Adeline : 

I  am  writing  you  this  letter  to  let  you  know  that  I  am 
sick.  I  have  quite  a  bad  cold,  that  is  why  I  have  to  stay  out  of 
school. 

What  did  I  get  in  arithmetic  yesterday? 
What  are  you  going  to  do  in  your  vacation?     I  guess  I 
will  spend  mine  taking  care  of  my  little  sister. 

Your  schoolmate, 

Alvina. 


MY   RIDE 

On  Sunday  I  went  out  for  a  ride  with  my  father  in  his 
automobile.  We  went  to  a  picnic.  We  went  five  miles  into  the 
country  and  we  came  to  an  oak  tree  where  we  stopped  for 
dinner.  After  dinner  we  went  fishing  and  then  we  played  hide- 
and-seek  in  the  bushes.  After  that  we  told  riddles.  About 
four  o'clock  we  got  ready  and  came  home. 

In  this  last  paper  can  you  change  the  third  sentence 
so  as  not  to  use  "and"4?  Put  in  some  word  that  will 
fasten  the  sentence  together  better. 

MY  CAT 

I  have  a  cat  and  he  is  five  years  old.  I  call  him  Joe.  He 
lives  out  in  the  country.  I  haven't  seen  him  for  three  weeks. 
T  am  going  out  Friday  night  to  see  him.  I  have  a  baby 


68  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

buggy  and  he  lies  in  it  every  day.     I  made  it  when  I  was  up 
in  the  country  last. 

Can  you  change  the  first  sentence  and  get  rid  of 
"and"?  Can  you  change  the  next  to  the  last  sentence 
also  so  as  to  leave  out  "and"  ? 


SIXTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Stick,  catch,  shine,  hide 

CAPITAL  LETTERS 
PLURALS 

PUNCTUATION 
0  and  Oh 

PRONOUNS 
REVIEW  LESSONS 

COMPOSITION 

Reproduction 
Original  writing 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


/o  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

Find  the  first  form  of  stick.  What  is  the  second 
form,  the  one  used  with  yesterday,  last  night?  How  does 
the  third  form  always  end?  What  do  we  say  when  we 
use  have,  has  or  had?  See  if  the  four  forms  that  you  have 
found  are  like  the  following: 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD   FORM  FOURTH   FORM 

stick  stuck  sticking  stuck 

Find  the  four  forms  of  these  verbs :  catch,  shine,  hide. 
Write  them  in  columns,  and  then  see  if  you  have  found 
them  as  given  below : 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH   FORM 

catch  caught  catching  caught 

shine  shone  shining  shone 

hide  hid  hiding  hidden 

Caught  is  very  much  like  what  other  verbs'?  They 
are  teach,  bring,  buy,  are  they  not?  Put  caught  into  the 
list  with  these  words. 

Think  of  five  sentences  with  stuck;  five  more  with 
have  stuck  or  is  stuck. 

Sometimes  a  child  says,  "I  kin  ketch  it."  What  do 
you  suppose  he  means  to  say?  It  is,  /  can  catch  it,  is  it 
not?  Perhaps  you  heard  that  same  boy  say,  "I  ketched 
the  ball."  What  do  you  think  he  meant  then?  I  caught 
the  ball.  Will  you  work  hard  with  this  verb?  It  is  one 
that  is  very  often  used  incorrectly.  Sometimes,  out  on  the 
playground  among  the  pupils,  it  seems  as  if  we  never  hear 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  71 

anything  but  "ketch"  and  "ketchcd";  and  it  should  be 
catch  and  caught  every  time. 

Think  of.  sentences  in  which  these  words  are  used, 
and  write  ten. 

If  you  say  "ketch"  and  "ketched,"  think  of  the  cor- 
rect use  and  pronunciation  every  day  until  you  always 
say  catch  and  caught. 

Here  is  an  easy  way  to  give  a  great  many  sentences: 

I  caught  the  ball  We  caught  the  ball 

He  caught  the  ball  You  caught  the  ball 

She  caught  the  ball  They  caught  the  ball 

Give  six  more  such  such  sentences,  using  caught,  as 
follows: 

I  caught  cold  last  night  You  caught  cold  last  night 

Finish  the  six. 

In  the  same  way  give  six  with  have  caught.  Give 
six  for  the  other  three  verbs — teach,  buy,  bring? 

PUNCTUATION 

Do  you  ever  have  any  trouble  in  telling  when  to  use 
0  and  Oh?  Probably  you  do,  for  many  persons  who  are 
older  than  you  make  mistakes  in  writing  them. 

Oh  is  used  when  we  are  hurt,  surprised,  amazed, 
angry  or  very  happy.  We  cry  out,  Oh !  and  then  stop, 
many  times  without  another  word;  or,  after  saying  it,  we 
explain  what  has  happened. 

Oh !  'You  hurt  my  finger ! 
Oh,  close  the  door!     It  is  cold! 
Oh!     What  made  you  say  that? 
Oh,  yes,  I  know  that  I  shall  go ! 


72  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

We  are  not  so  much  surprised  when  we  say  O.  Nor 
do  we  stop  so  decidedly  after  it.  Usually,  we  say 
something  else  with  it,  as: 

O  dear,  I  wish  that  I  could  go. 
O  Harry,  how  could  you  do  that? 
O  how  sorry  I  am  for  you ! 

Do  you  notice  that  after  Ok  we  use  an  exclamation 
point?  That  is  because  the  surprise  is  so  great.  If  the 
Ok  stands  off  by  itself,  that  is  if  we  stop  short  there,  we 
put  the  !  right  after  the  word  Oh!  But  if  we  stop  for  a 
second  only,  and  then  say  what  is  the  matter,  we  put  a 
comma  after  Ok,  and  the  exclamation  point  at  the  end  of 
the  sentence,  as  in  the  sentence,  Oh,  close  the  door!  on 
page  71.  Perhaps  a  question  mark  is  used  at  the  end, 
as  in  the  third  sentence:  Oh!  What  made  you  say  that*? 
Notice  in  your  readers  every  time  O  or  Ok  is  used  and  try 
to  find  out  why.  Copy  such  a  sentence,  putting  in  the 
punctuation. 

REVIEW    LESSONS 

Are  you  still  trying  to  use  7,  he,  she,  me  and  they 
correctly,  or  have  you  forgotten  these  pronouns  that  tell 
us  about  some  one  who  is  doing  something?  Use  /  in  a 
short  sentence;  as,  I  am  going  to  play  in  the  barn.  Use 
he  in  place  of  I;  as,  he  is  going  to  play  in  the  barn.  Put 
the  two  sentences  together ;  as,  he  and  I  are  going  to  play 
in  the  barn.  Before  writing  the  sentences  asked  for  on 
the  next  page,  think  what  you  will  say.  Do  not  use  I  for 
me,  nor  me  for  I;  do  not  use  he  for  him  nor  him  for  he. 
That  is,  be  sure  you  have  the  pronouns  in  the  right  places. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


73 


Write  five  sentences  about  some  of  the  boys  and 
girls  in  the  room,  using  the  pupils'  names.  Put  yourself 
in  the  same  sentences.  Do  not  say  "me  and  Mollie"  but 
remember  /  should  come  after  the  name;  as,  Mollie  and  I. 

Write  five  sentences,  using  he  and  I. 

Write  five,  using  the  names  of  a  boy  and  a  girl; 
then  put  he  and  she  in  place  of  the  names. 

Write  five,  using  they. 

Write  five,  using  you  and  he. 

Write  five,  using  you  and  I. 

Write  five,  using  he  and  Martin,  or  some  other  name 
in  place  of  Martin. 

Write  five,  using  she  and  Jennie,  or  some  other  name 
in  place  of  Jennie. 

Write  sentences,  using  the  following  words : 

don't  saw  doesn't  John  and  me 

went  was  seen  you  and  me     has  broken 

has  gone          you  and  I         John  and  I       spoken 

Write  a  short  letter  to  your  brother  or  sister,  telling 
of  some  game  you  have  been  playing  recently. 

Write  a  sentence  mentioning  three  children  you  saw 
this  morning,  using  commas  wherever  necessary. 


Write  the  names  of  six  business  firms. 

Write  the  names  of  five  streets  near  the  school  build- 
ing, sometimes  writing  Street  in  full,  sometimes  using  the 
letters  that  stand  for  it. 

Every  day  make  a  list  of  the  names  in  your  lessons, 


IN   DISGRACE 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  75 

and  form  the  plurals.     Put  these  nouns  into  columns, 
writing  together  those  that  are  alike. 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell  the  story  of  one  of  your  lessons,  and  then  write 
the  story. 

Tell,  and  then  write,  the  story  of  a  poem. 

ORIGINAL    WRITING 

Think  of  some  person  that  you  like  very  much. 
Who  is  it*?  Why  do  you  like  him?  What  has  he  done 
for  you?  What  can  you  do  for  him?  Does  he  know 
that  you  like  him?  Tell  on  paper  about  this  person, 
writing  about  him  as  you  would  talk. 

Where  have  you  been  lately?  Have  you  been  to 
some  city,  or  made  a  visit  somewhere?  Have  you  been 
down  town  shopping?  You  must  have  been  somewhere 
and  enjoyed  yourself.  Tell  what  you  saw  and  did  on 
such  a  trip.  Write  it. 

Does  a  story  come  to  you  when  you  think  of 
whistling?  Write  it  as  you  think  it. 

Write  one  about  singing.     About  playing. 

Did  you  ever  watch  a  bird  getting  its  breakfast? 
How  did  it  do  it?  Was  it  happy?  Was  it  watchful? 
Did  it  seem  afraid  of  anything?  Write  about  it. 

In  the  picture,  "In  Disgrace,"  on  the  opposite  page, 
tell  what  you  think  is  the  matter  with  the  little  girl? 
What  does  "In  Disgrace"  mean?  Why  is  the  little  girl 
not  playing?  Why  is  she  sitting  on  the  stool?  Who 


76  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

probably  told  her  to  sit  there?    Is  any  one  sorry  for  her? 
Tell  the  story  of  this  picture. 

Here  are  two  reproductions  by  third-grade  boys  of 
stories  told  by  the  teacher  :** 

WAHB 

Wahb  was  an  orphan  bear.  When  he  was  a  cub  his 
mother  was  shot.  He  then  wandered  around  and  slept  in 
hollow  logs. 

He  thought  every  one  was  his  enemy  for  he  was  chased 
many  a  time  up  a  tree  and  sometimes  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life. 

When  he  was  eight  years  of  age  he  stood  nearly  nine  feet 
high.  He  was  called  a  grizzly  giant.  He  killed  three  men 
in  his  time,  an  Indian  and  two  Americans.  Every  one  that 
saw  him  was  afraid  of  him  and  thought  they  had  better  let 
him  alone. 

LOBO 

The  cattle  in  the  corral  had  been  disappearing  for  some 
time  and  the  cow-boys  had  searched  the  country  daily  for  them, 
until  one  day  a  cow-boy  reported  that  he  had  seen  a  large  wolf 
with  six  followers. 

The  large  wolf  who  led  the  pack  soon  became  known  as 
Lobo,  the  king  of  the  wolves. 

Finally,  a  thousand  dollars  were  offered  to  the  person 
who  could  trap  the  large  wolf. 

At  last  Mr.  Ernest  Seton-Thompson  arrived  and  tried  to 
poison  Lobo,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  When  Mr.  Thompson 
found  that  his  poison  was  doing  the  wolves  no  harm,  he  sent 
for  some  steel  traps,  in  which  he  caught  Blanca,  the  mate  of 
Lobo,  and  Lobo  feeling  very  sad,  fell  into  another  trap  and 
was  caught  too. 

Can  you  find  and  correct  any  of  the  mistakes  in  the 
two  papers  given  above? 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  77 

Here  is  an  attempt  at  a  description  by  a  third-grade 
boy: 

A   SQUIRREL   TOWN35 

A  few  miles  from  a  town  named  Franklyn  was  a  squirrel 
town.  The  air  was  cool  and  the  squirrels  were  giving  calls  to 
each  other. 

Sometimes  you  could  see  four  or  five  squirrel  heads 
poking  out  of  large  holes.  Near  this  squirrel  town  was  a 
large  wood.  At  the  edge  of  this  wood  was  a  low  birch  tree. 

All  the  boys  were  acquainted  with  this  tree.  When  the 
boys  in  Franklyn  had  a  vacation  they  would  always  go  to  this 
tree  to  watch  the  squirrels. 


SEVENTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Strike,  beat 

PRONOUNS 

QUOTATIONS 

Simple  and  broken 

PUNCTUATION 
SYNONYMS  AND  OPPOSITES 
REVIEW  LESSONS 

COMPOSITION 

Reproduction 
Original  writing 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  79 


VERBS 

PRESENT  PAST  THIRD  FORM  FOURTH  FORM 

strike  struck  striking  struck 

beat  beat  beating  beaten 

Strike  and  beat  are  easily  learned.  What  is  the  most 
common  mistake  in  using  these  two  words  ?  Is  there  one 
word  in  their  principal  parts  that  you  do  not  know  very 
well*?  Is  it  not  beaten?  Make  a  sentence  with  have, 
has  or  was,  and  beaten.  Would  you  say  naturally,  he 
has  beat  the  carpet"?  It  should  be,  he  has  beaten  the 
carpet. 

PRONOUNS36 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  with 
he  or  I: 

Harry  and made  a  sail  for  our  boat. 

and  James  took  a  ride  in  the  boat. 

Who  are  going  in  the  boat  today  ?     Father  and . 

Mama  and  -     -  take  care  of  our  baby. 


Here  are  two  sentences  that  you  can  put  into  one: 
He  gave  you  an  apple.     He  gave  rne  an  apple. 

Here  they  are  put  together;   fill  out  the  blanks: 
He  gave  —    —  and  —    —  an  apple. 

Put  the  following  sentences  together  in  the  same 
way: 

He  gave  him  a  ball.  He  gave  me  a  ball.  He  gave 

and a  ball. 

The  man  gave  her  a  pear.  He  gave  him  a  pear.  He 
gave  me  a  pear.  He  gave  -  — ,  -  -  and  -  -  a  pear. 


80  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Let  us  put  together  in  columns  these  pronouns : 

I  me 

he  him 

she  her 

we  us 

you  you 

they  them 

The  pronouns  in  the  first  column  are  used  when 
some  one  is  acting;  as,  they  are  playing  ball.  Those  in 
the  second  column  are  used  to  finish  a  thought;  as,  the 
man  saw  them.  We  have  to  be  careful  not  to  say  me 
where  we  mean  /,  nor  him  or  her  where  we  mean  he 
or  she.  Nor  must  we  say  us  where  we  mean  we,  nor 
them  where  we  mean  they.  Like  everything  else  in 
language,  this  is  not  hard  to  learn;  but  it  is  hard  to  re- 
member to  use  it.  The  reason  why  you  are  asked  to  say 
the  correct  form  over  and  over  again,  in  many  different 
ways,  is  so  that  you  will  remember  to  use  it  almost  with- 
out thinking.  When  you  can  do  that,  the  wrong  form 
will  disappear  from  your  conversation  and  writing. 

Suppose  you  and  Harry  bring  in  some  wood,  and  I 
ask,  "Who  brought  in  the  wood?"  Do  you  say,  "Us 
boys"  ?  A  great  many  do,  but  this  is  not  correct.  Leave 
out  boys,  and  give  the  whole  answer:  "We  brought 
in  the  wood."  You  never  say,  "Us  brought  in  the 
wood."  Now  put  boys  into  the  answer.  "Who  brought 
in  the  wood?"  "We  boys"  or  "We  boys  brought  in  the 
wood."  Do  you  see  that  "us  boys"  is  wrong?  It  is 
very  easy  to  see  it.  Try  to  give  the  right  pronouns  in  the 
following  sentences: 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  81 

Who  swept  the  floor?  -     -  girls. 

Who  brought  me  these  beautiful  flowers?  boys. 

-  girls  are  going  to  the  picnic. 
boys  have  a  kite  to  fly. 


REVIEW    LESSONS 

Listen  to  some  of  the  things  said  on  the  playground 
at  recess.  Write  some  of  them  down,  putting  into  each 
sentence  the  name  of  the  boy  or  girl  who  spoke.  If  you 
put  Harry  said  at  the  beginning  of  the  sentence  before 
the  quotation,  how  many  "frames"  or  sets  of  quotation 
marks  do  you  need?  How  many  if  you  put  Harry  said 
at  the  end  of  the  quotation?  How  many  if  you  put 
Harry  said  in  the  middle  of  the  quotation?  How  do 
you  separate  Harry  said  from  the  quotation?  Do  you 
ever  need  more  than  one  punctuation  mark  to  do  this? 

Write  the  following  quotation  in  all  three  ways : 

Will  said,  "Lend  me  your  air  gun  and  I  will  show 
you  how  to  shoot." 

Make  up  five  similar  sentences,  writing  them  in  all 
three  ways. 

Mention  three  things  that  are  in  the  room.  Put 
them  into  a  sentence,  using  commas  in  the  right  places. 

What  four  things  are  on  the  table?  Write  a 
sentence  naming  them  all ;  punctuate  it  correctly. 

Adjectives  may  be  used  before  nouns  that  are  in  a 
series.  Keep  the  noun  and  its  adjective  together,  and 
put  the  commas  after  the  nouns,  as  in  the  following 
sentence : 


82  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

A  red  rose,  a  blue  violet,  a  yellow  poppy  and  a 
white  carnation  were  on  my  desk. 

Make  three  sentences  like  the  above,  using  adjectives 
with  the  nouns. 

Write  the  names  of  five  boys  or  girls.  Write  them 
with  one  initial;  with  two  initials;  with  initial  letters  for 
all  the  names.  What  punctuation  mark  do  you  put  after 
every  initial  letter? 

Write  five  sentences  using  Oh!  Have  two  of  them 
questions. 

Give  a  word  that  means  about  the  same  as  the 
italicized  word  in  every  sentence  that  follows: 

The  mother-quail  is  shy. 

The  man  was  very  wealthy,  but  he  was  very  cruel. 
The  rich  man  gave  presents  at  Christmas  time. 
The  poor  man  was  sad  because  his  child  was  very  ///. 

What  are  the  opposites  of  the  italicized  words  in 
these  sentences'? 

The  quail  is  shy. 

The  king  was  very  wealthy,  but  he  was  very  cruel. 

He  walked  home  slowly. 


Use  the  following  words  in  sentences: 

breaking  beating  blowing  bringing 

shining  lying  growing  fighting 

catching  thinking  flying  drawing 

Can  you  use  any  of  them  in  more  ways  than  one,  as  : 
The  sun  is  shining.     The  shining  piece  of  metal  caught 


MME.   RONNER 


A  FASCINATING  TALE 


84  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

my  eye.     Shining  shoes  is  not  an  easy  way  to  make  one's 
living. 

Write  out  in  full  the  words  that  these  contractions 
stand  for : 

don't  can't  aren't  isn't 

doesn't  wouldn't  haven't  shouldn't 

What  does  the  apostrophe   (')   stand  for  in  these 
words? 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Has  a  story  been  told  to  the  class  this  month?  If  so, 
tell  it  in  your  own  language.  Give  the  story  of  some  of 
the  science  talks,  telling  the  most  interesting  points. 
Have  you  read  a  poem  lately  or  heard  one  read?  Write 
about  it. 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

Tell  what  happened  this  morning  before  you  started 
to  school. 

In  the  picture  "A  Fascinating  Tale"  on  the  preced- 
ing page,  what  are  kittens  watching?  Do  you  see  a  tail 
in  this  picture?  Whose  tail  do  you  think  it  is?  It  cer- 
tainly does  not  belong  to  any  one  of  the  kittens.  What 
do  the  kittens  think  it  is?  Suppose  it  belongs  to  a 
rat,  and  all  three  kittens  should  try  to  catch  the  rat. 
What  do  you  think  would  happen?  Would  anything  be 
upset?  Think  of  a  story  suggested  by  this  picture  and 
write  it. 

Here  is  a  reproduction  of  a  story  from  Ernest  Seton- 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  85 

Thompson.  The  children  who  heard  it  were  so  interested 
in  it  and  its  reproduction  that  plenty  of  time  was  given 
them  to  tell  the  whole  story  of  Johnnie.  This  took 
several  days,  for  the  children  corrected  their  own  papers 
and  recopied,  if  necessary.  The  majority  of  the  papers 
from  the  class  were  not  rewritten,  however,  after  being 
corrected  by  the  writers. 

LITTLE  JOHNNIE  AND  OLD  GRUMPY 

Johnnie  was  a  sick  little  black  bear  always  howling.  One 
of  his  feet  was  lame,  so  he  always  went  around  on  three. 

Grumpy  was  his  mother,  and  she  was  always  ready  to 
fight  a  big  grizzly  for  Johnnie's  sake. 

One  day  a  big  grizzly  was  eating  at  the  garbage  pile  at 
Yellowstone  Park,  where  Johnnie  and  Grumpy  lived,  just  as 
they  were  coming.  So  old  Grumpy  told  Johnnie  to  climb  a 
tree,  and  he  did.  But  he  wanted  to  see  the  fight,  so  he  climbed 
to  the  top  and  squalled  while  Grumpy  drove  off  the  grizzly. 

When  Johnnie  came  down  from  the  tree  and  saw  his 
mother  with  a  can  of  plum  jam  he  wanted  it.  So  he  went  to 
his  mother  and  said,  "I  want  that,"  and,  of  course,  she  gave  it 
to  him. 

Then  he  sat  down  and  smeared  one  paw  with  the  jam, 
and  while  he  was  licking  the  jam  off  of  it  he  was  smearing  the 
other. 

After  he  had  gotten  all  the  jam  out  of  the  can  he  saw 
some  syrup  at  the  bottom.  That  was  too  good  to  lose,  so  he 
stuck  his  nose  in  the  can,  but  he  could  not  get  it  out  again. 
Then  he  jumped  up  and  down  squealing  worse  than  a  young 
Pig. 

This  made  Grumpy  frightened,  and  she  got  behind  a  tree, 
popping  her  head  out  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other.  There 
Johnnie  stood,  scratching  at  one  side  of  the  can  with  his  paw. 
After  a  long  struggle  he  got  it  off,  and  then  he  smashed  it  flat 
with  his  paw. 


86  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

One  day  when  Johnnie  and  his  mother  were  walking  near 
the  hotel  he  smelt  some  jam,  for  the  cook  was  making  tarts, 
and  Johnnie  wanted  some,  so  he  told  his  mother  to  go  with 
him. 

When  they  got  in  sight  of  the  hotel  Johnnie  saw  the  cat 
and  her  five  little  kittens,  and  he  went  up  the  nearest  tree 
like  a  monkey,  while  his  mother  went  on  to  fight  the  cat. 

They  fought  and  tugged  until  Grumpy  went  running  into 
the  wood  where  Johnnie  was  and  went  up  in  the  tree  with  him. 

Then  the  cat  called  her  kittens  and  she  walked  around 
the  tree  while  the  kittens  all  sat  in  a  row.  Then  the  cat  left  and 
Johnnie  and  Grumpy  went  off  to  the  wood. 

A  third-grade  class  heard  Mr.  Ernest  Seton- 
Thompson's  lecture  to  the  pupils  of  the  city.  The  fol- 
lowing letter  was  written  as  a  class  exercise  by  a  bright 
girl  to  her  teacher  who  is  supposed  to  be  out  of  town: 

Stockton,  California, 

May  21,  1901. 
My  dear  Miss  Lottman: 

Last  Friday  I  went  to  Mr.  Ernest  Seton- Thompson's 
lecture.  You  not  being  here  I  will  tell  you  something  about 
the  man  and  his  speaking. 

In  the  first  place  he  is  a  large  strong-looking  man  with 
large  sparkling  eyes,  and  a  face  full  of  character. 

You  may  think  any  man  could  study  wild  animals.  But 
besides  his  study  of  animals  he  can  sketch  well,  talk  well,  and 
paint  well.  That's  what  makes  me  think  he  is  so  great. 

One  of  the  stories  he  mentioned  was  little  Johnnie  and 
Grumpy.  And  another  was  Lobo  and  Blanca. 

When  he  comes  to  your  city  surely  go  to  hear  him  and 
the  rest  of  his  stones. 

Your  loving  friend, 

Lois. 


EIGHTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 
VERBS 

Review  and  list  of  all  the  verbs  of  the  year 

ADJECTIVES 

ADVERBS 

POSSESSIVES 

OPPOSITES 

SYNONYMS 

QUOTATIONS 

PLURALS 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of-  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS'7 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  make  a  list  of  all  the  verbs  that 
have  been  studied  during  the  year,  so  as  to  find  out  how 
much  we  have  learned  about  them  and  how  correctly  we 
are  using  them.  Lay  a  piece  of  paper  over  the  second, 
third  and  fourth  forms  of  the  verbs  in  the  following  list. 
Copy  the  first  forms,  keeping  together  the  verbs  of  a 
group,  and  then  see  if  you  can  fill  out  the  other  three 
forms  without  looking  at  them  in  the  book.  After  you 
have  made  your  list,  compare  it  with  the  one  in  the  book. 


FOURTH  FORM 
written 
broken 
spoken 
taken 
forgotten 

bitten 
hidden 

given 
eaten 
beaten 

caught 

taught 

brought 

bought 

fought 

thought 

blown 

known 

thrown 

grown 

drawn 

flown 


PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

write 

wrote 

writing 

break 

broke 

breaking 

speak 

spoke 

speaking 

take 

took 

taking 

forget 

forgot 

forgetting 

bite 

bit 

biting 

hide 

hid 

hiding 

give 

gave 

giving 

eat 

ate 

eating 

beat 

beat 

beating 

catch 

caught 

catching 

teach 

taught 

teaching 

bring 

brought 

bringing 

buy 

bought 

buying 

fight 

fought 

fighting 

think 

thought 

thinking 

blow 

blew 

blowing 

know 

knew 

knowing 

throw 

threw 

throwing 

grow 

grew 

growing 

draw 

drew 

drawing 

fly 

flew 

flying 

PRESENT 

PAST 

THIRD  FORM 

strike 

struck 

striking 

stick 

stuck 

sticking 

see 

saw 

seeing 

do 

did 

doing 

go 

went 

going 

shine 

shone 

shining 

lie 

lay 

lying 

sit 

sat 

sitting 

come 

came 

coming 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  89 

FOURTH  FORM 
struck 
stuck 

seen 
done 
gone 
shone 

lain 
sat 
come 

There  are  two  new  verbs  here,  forget  and  shine. 
Learn  these  as  you  have  been  learning  the  others. 

The  verbs  in  the  last  two  groups  are  not  so  much 
alike  as  those  in  the  other  groups,  so  you  will  have  to  be 
more  careful  about  remembering  them.  Pick  out  for 
yourself  those  forms  in  the  above  list  that  trouble  you 
most.  Think  sentences  in  which  you  use  them,  and  write 
some  to  make  sure  that  you  can  use  these  verbs  correctly. 

ADJECTIVES    AND    ADVERBS38 

Write  a  sentence  about  something  that  is  playful; 
write  one  about  something  that  is  gentle.  Use  in  senten- 
ces the  words  in  the  following  list: 

playful  strong  tough 

gentle  dirty  neat 

bright  graceful  cruel 

My  kitten  scratched  me  playfully.  The  old  cat  cuffed 
the  kitten  gently. 

By  using  the  following  words  tell  how  something 
was  done: 

playfully  strongly  cruelly 

gently  gracefully  smoothly 

brightly  neatly  carelessly 


90  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


OPPOSITES    AND    SYNONYMS 

Put  in  a  second  column  the  opposites  of  the  words 
below.  Write  sentences  in  which  you  use  the  word  itself, 
then  change  it  to  its  opposite: 

ADJECTIVES  ADVERBS 

dirty  gladly 

sad  politely 

high  cruelly 

old  honestly 

strong  carefully 

difficult  swiftly 

bright  quietly 

honest  crossly 

few  softly 

We  may  divide  a  word  at  the  end  of  a  line. 

We  may  break  a  word  in  two  at  the  end  of  a  line. 

The  words  break  in  two  in  the  second  line  take  the 
place  of  divide  in  the  first  line.  In  the  sentences  that  fol- 
low, use  one  word  or  more  than  one  in  place  of  the 
italicized  words: 

Write  a  true  story. 

Write  an  imaginary  story. 

Write  your  complete  name  at  the  top  of  the  paper. 

What  is  your  father's  business? 

REVIEW    LESSONS 

Change  the  following  indirect  quotations  to  direct 
ones;  punctuate  and  use  the  quotation  marks: 

John  told  me  to  come  home  because  he  had  a  new  wagon. 
I  asked  you  where  you  were  going". 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  91 

Ella  is  asking  if  you  have  heard  the  news. 
The  teacher  said  that  we  must  be  early  this  noon. 
Father  told  us  to  go  and  put.  away  the  tools. 
The  man  cried  out  that  he  was  hurt. 


The  sentences  below  are  in  the  singular;  that  is, 
they  are  about  one  person  or  thing.  Write  them  in  the 
plural;  that  is,  about  two  or  more  persons  or  things. 

The  boy  threw  his  hat  over  the  fence. 
The  -     -  threw  -  -  over  the  fence. 

The  leaf  fell  to  the  ground  noiselessly. 
The fell  to  the  ground  noiselessly. 

He  has  lost  his  knife. 

-  lost (Four  words  must  be  changed 

in  this  sentence.) 

She  gave  me  a  rose. 
gave  me  a  rose. 

The  plant  is  growing  finely. 
The  pupil  is  playing  marbles. 


Use  in  sentences  the  possessive  forms  of  the  follow- 
ing words: 

rabbit  bird  uncle  Harry 

squirrel  tree  cousin  Charles 

dog  man  father  Jennie 

cat  woman  mother  Francis 

horse  boy  brother  Newton 

cow  girl  sister  Mollie 

goat  aunt  baby  Nellie 

donkey  neighbor  grandma  Belle 

dove  visitor  grandpa  Edith 


FROM   PAINTING  BY  MEYER  VON   BREMEN   1813-1886 

THE    PET    BIRD 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  93 

COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell  the  story  of  the  reading  lesson. 

Tell  the  story  of  a  poem  you  have  read  this  month. 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

Tell  about  some  tree  that  you  like.  Tell  about  one 
that  you  know — about  its  branches,  leaves,  roots,  knots, 
fruit — as  you  would  talk  about  it  if  resting  under  it. 

What  story  is  there  in  the  picture,  'The  Pet  Bird," 
on  the  opposite  page4?  The  children  are  happy  and  inter- 
ested in  watching  their  bird.  Why  do  you  think  the  old- 
est boy  holds  the  bird?  Why  does  not  the  youngest  child 
take  it?  Do  you  think  that  the  bird  might  be  easily 
frightened  or  hurt?  Do  you  think  that  the  bird  is  per- 
mitted to  fly  around  the  room?  Would  it  finally  go  back 
to  its  cage?  Why?  What  is  there  for  it  in  the  cage? 
Write  about  this  picture,  or  write  the  story  that  it  tells 
you  about  these  children  and  their  bird. 

What  ideas  come  to  you  when  you  see  the  word 
bonfire?  Write  them. 

What  do  you  think  about  when  you  see  the  word 
strong? 

Does  the  word  hungry  suggest  something  for  you 
to  write? 

Tell  about  a  vegetable  wagon  with  its  driver,  horse 
and  load. 

The  following  paper,  just  as  a  third-grade  child 


94  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

wrote  it,  is  suggestive  of  the  work  that  should  be  done 
constantly  in  sentence  and  paragraph  structure:39 


THE    PILGRIMS 

The  Pilgrims  lived  in  England.  King  James  wanted 
them  to  worship  God  as  he  did.  And  they  wanted  to  worship 
him  in  there  own  way.  King  James  said  that  if  they  did  not 
want  to  do  it  He  would  punish  them  severely. 

So  they  went  to  Holland  and  lived  there  eleven  years 
and  after  a  while  the  children  began  to  talk  Dutch  and  did  not 
want  to  go  to  church. 

And  they  hired  to  ships  the  Speedwell  and  Mayflower. 

And  they  came  to  America.  And  they  landed  on 
Plymouth  Rock  in  the  middle  of  winter  and  it  was  very  cold. 
The  Pilgrims  had  a  good  lot  of  sickness  and  a  good  many  of 
them  died. 

In  the  summer  the  Indians  came  to  show  them  how  to 
plant  corn.  The  Pilgrims  had  a  Thanksgiving  party  and  in- 
vited all  the  friendly  Indians.  The  Indians  played  with  the 
children. 

Can  you  correct  any  of  the  mistakes  in  the  paper 
given  above ? 

Here  is  a  pretty  little  description  by  a  third-grade 
boy: 

A    WALK  ON    THE    BEACH 

As  I  was  walking  along  the  beach  I  saw  a  little  fish  that 
had  been  thrown  on  the  sand  by  a  wave.  It  was  laying  in  a 
shallow  hole  by  a  rock. 

I  went  up  to  it  and  picked  it  up.  It  was  breathing  yet, 
so  I  threw  it  back  into  the  water.  It  began  to  swim,  so  I 
thought  it  would  be  all  right. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  95 

This  is  an  excellent  paper  for  a  third-grade  boy  to 
write.  It  shows  that  he  is  thoughtful  and  observant. 

There  are  some  mistakes,  but  it  is  easy  to  correct 
them.  In  the  second  sentence  would  you  say  laying? 
The  paragraphs  are  good.  Why*? 


REMAINING  WEEKS   OF  THE   YEAR 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

PUNCTUATION 

ABBREVIATIONS 

PLURALS 

SENTENCES 

HYPHEN 

COMMON  ERRORS 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  97 


VERBS 

Drills  on  see,  do,  go,  lie,  sit,  come,  forget. 

Notice  your  own  conversation  and  see  if  you  make 
any  mistakes  when  using  the  verbs  you  have  been  study- 
ing this  year.  List  any  mistakes  that  you  find,  and  write 
sentences  using  the  correct  forms  in  place  of  these  incor- 
rect forms. 

Give  two  or  more  sentences  using  each  of  these  verbs  : 

taught  broken  gone  saw 

caught  spoken  written  did 

brought  given  thrown  ate 

thought  eaten  lain  went 

bought  bitten  flown  came 

forget  forgot  forgetting  forgotten 


PUNCTUATION40 

How  many  places  can  you  think  of  where  you  put 
a  period?  Write  sentences  showing  that  you  can  use  the 
period  in  all  these  places. 

How  many  uses  for  the  comma  can  you  think  of? 
Write  sentences  for  these  also. 

What  is  a  quotation?  How  do  you  show  it  in 
writing? 

Where  do  you  use  an  interrogation  point? 

Where  do  you  use  an  exclamation  point? 

What  is  a  hyphen?  Where  do  you  use  it?  Do  you 
know  of  more  than  one  use  for  it? 

How  many  uses  for  an  apostrophe  do  you  know? 
What  is  an  apostrophe?  How  is  it  made? 


98  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

What  are  quotation  marks'?    How  are  they  made*? 
A  punctuation  mark  should  never  be  put  at  the 
beginning  of  a  line. 

REVIEW    LESSONS 

How  many  abbreviations  do  you  know4?  Write 
them.  How  do  you  begin  them4?  What  do  you  put  after 
them?  Do  not  forget  the  abbreviation  for  your  own 
name. 

Look  at  the  names  on  many  pages  of  your  books  to 
see  if  there  are  any  nouns  whose  plurals  you  do  not  know. 
Make  a  list  of  these  names;  find  out  what  the  plurals 
are,  and  write  them  opposite  their  singular  forms. 


Write  five  telling  sentences  (statements)  about 
some  birds,  a  dog,  a  garden,  a  tree  or  one  of  your 
friends.  They  may  all  be  about  one  of  these  subjects,  or 
about  as  many  as  you  like. 

Write  five  questions  about  these  subjects. 

Write  five  exclamations. 

Write  sentences  using  the  following  words: 

who  while 

which  when 

that  because 

for 

although 

What  is  a  sentence4? 

How  many  kinds  of  sentences  can  you  write4? 

Select  from  your  reader  ten  words  of  more  than  one 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  cjy 

syllable.    Write  them,  separating  them  into  syllables  by 
the  hyphen,  as: 

syl-la-bles  hy-phen 

COMPOSITION 
Here  are  some  letters  written  by  third-grade  pupils  : 

437  E.  Main  St.,  Sacramento,  Cal., 

Dec.  13,  1906. 
My  dear  Sister: 

I  expect  to  be  up  Christmas  with  mama.  Papa  will  come 
too  if  he  don't  have  to  work.  I  think  he  can  get  off.  We  will 
come  on  the  boat.  Be  down  at  the  ferry  to  meet  us. 

Your  loving  sister, 

Leah. 

This  is  a  very  natural  letter.  Leah  probably  ex- 
pected to  go  to  San  Francisco  for  Christmas.  In  the  first 
sentence  she  uses  "up"  to  express  this.  What  mistake 
did  Leah  make  in  a  word  you  have  been  studying  to 
correct  *? 

119  East  Lindsay  St.,  Ventura,  Cal., 

June  13,  1907. 
Dear  Orpha : 

I  wish  you  would  come  over,  it  is  so  lonesome.  You 
could  bring  your  dolls,  and  we  would  have  lots  of  fun. 

How  many  perfect  papers  in  arithmetic  have  you  had? 
I  think  I  have  seven.  I  must  close. 

With  love, 

Grace. 


loo  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

The  paper  that  follows  shows  what  a  third-grade 
boy  had  to  say  about  a  disagreeable  day: 

A    CLOUDY,    DISAGREEABLE    DAY 

It  was  a  disagreeable  day.  Everybody  seemed  to  stay  in- 
doors. Dark,  heavy  clouds  gathered  overhead  and  it  looked 
as  if  it  would  rain  hard.  It  was  dark  because  the  sun  was 
behind  the  clouds.  The  limbs  of  the  trees  cracked  in  the  wind 
as  if  they  would  break. 

REPRODUCTION" 

Can  you  write  the  story  of  Washington's  boyhood4? 
Think  what  you  would  write.  Make  headings  something 
like  these: 

Washington's  Boyhood 

The  hatchet  and  the  cherry  tree 
Riding  his  mother's  colt 
Training  the  boys  to  be  soldiers 

Why  do  you  think  these  three  little  stories  about 
Washington  are  separated  in  this  way?  How  would 
you  separate  them  in  your  writing?  Have  they  anything 
to  do  with  paragraphs'? 

Take  the  story  of  a  lesson  that  you  like  very  much. 
Think  what  was  talked  about.  Can  you  make  little 
divisions  like  those  about  Washington  in  the  story 
above?  Will  those  be  your  paragraphs?  After  you 
have  decided  what  to  write,  you  do  not  need  to  be  wor- 
ried about  the  paragraphs;  remember  to  separate 
the  thoughts  by.  making  the  first  line  of  the  new  para- 
graph shorter  than  the  other  lines.  We  say  that  we 
indent  the  first  line.  Notice  how  it  is  done  on  this  page. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE         :  -'roV 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

On  the  way  to  school  this  morning  did  you  see  some- 
thing that  you  turned  to  look  at4?  Write  about  it. 

What  game  were  you  playing  at  recess4?  How  did 
you  play  it4?  Why  do  you  like  it4?  Write  about  it. 

Can  you  see  a  story  in  these  words :  a  brook,  a  row- 
boat,  some  lilies  and  water  plants,  a  water  snake,  a 
swimming-hole4?  Use  these  words  in  a  little  imaginary 
story.  • 

Look  at  the  picture  on  the  next  page.  Do  you 
see  the  name  of  it4?  It  is  "Anxiety."  Do  you  know  what 
it  is  to  be  anxious4?  It  means  to  be  troubled  or  worried 
about  something.  Why  should  the  little  child  be  anx- 
ious4? Do  you  think  she  has  anything  in  the  dish  in  her 
hands4?  What  makes  her  look  at  the  dog  in  such  a 
troubled  way4?  Is  she  afraid  the  dog  will  bite4?  WThat 
do  you  think  the  dog  would  like  to  do4?  Do  you  think  it 
is  milk  in  the  dish4?  Do  dogs  like  milk4?  Do  you  think 
the  dog  looks  hungry*? 

Here  are  some  papers  written  by  third-grade 
children : 

MY  RIDE 

One  time  a  grocery  wagon  came  to  our  house.  Three 
of  the  girls  ran  over  to  the  wagon  and  got  on  the  back  of  it. 

Just  as  the  man  came  out  I  started  to  get  on  and  he 
started  up  too  quick  and  I  did  not  get  on. 

After  the  girls  rode  about  three  blocks  the  man  drove  over 
a  big  bump.  One  of  the  girls  came  pretty  near  going  out,  so 
I  was  glad  that  I  did  not  get  on. 

The  girl  that  wrote  this  story  evidently  did  not  have 
the  ride,  although  her  subject  is  "My  Ride."  This  paper 


ANXIETY 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  103 

was  not  rewritten,  so  there  are  some  weak  places  in  it. 
Can  you  change  some  of  them?  How  many  times  is 
get  (or  got)  used  in  this  short  paper?  Can  you  think  of 
other  words  to  take  its  place,  so  that  got-  will  not  be  used 
more  than  once  or  twice?  In  the  last  paragraph  would 
you  say,  "After  the  girls  rode  about  three  blocks"  or  is 
it  better  to  say  had  ridden? 

MY  RIDE 

One  Sunday  my  grandma  and  I  went  out  to  the  cemetery. 
We  went  on  a  car.  As  we  were  coming  home  from  the 
cemetery  an  automobile  was  in  back  of  the  car. 

The  automobile  tried  to  turn  out  of  the  way  of  the  car. 
Another  car  was  on  the  other  side  of  this  car  that  we  were  on. 
The  automobile  ran  into  a  tree.  It  broke  a  man's  leg.  The 
lady  in  the  automobile  fainted. 

For  a  third-grade  child  this  is  a  very  exact  descrip- 
tion. The  sentence  structure  might  be  improved  some- 
what. It  would  be  better  to  make  the  description  more 
complete  by  adding  a  few  sentences,  especially  in  the 
second  paragraph.  It  is  probable  that  the  "man"  and  the 
"lady"  referred  to  were  both  in  the  automobile,  but  the 
paper  does  not  say  so.  It  is  the  only  place  in  the  descrip- 
tion where  the  writer's  meaning  is  not  perfectly  clear. 

MY  PET 

My  pet  Pigeon's  name  is  Snowball.  He  is  white  and  not 
full  grown.  Whenever  mama  goes  out  of  the  house  Snowball 
gets  out  of  his  box.  I  took  Snowball  from  his  mother  before 
he  was  feathered.  Mama  has  taken  care  of  him  for  me. 
She  feeds  him  on  bread  and  water.  I  think  he  will  live  and 
he  will  be  a  fine  pet.  T  will  tell  you  more  the  next  time  I 
write. 


AUTUMN  LEAVES 

"Come,  little  leaves,"  said  the  wind  one  day, 
"Come  o'er  the  meadows  with  me  and  play, 

Put  on  your  dresses  of  red  and  gold; 

Summer  is  gone  and  the  days  grow  cold." 

Soon  as  the  leaves  heard  the  wind's  loud  call, 
Down  they  came  fluttering,  one  and  all; 
Over  the  brown  fields  they  danced  and  flew, 
Singing  the  soft  little  songs  they  knew. 

"Cricket,  good-bye;  we've  been  friends  so  long! 
Little  brook,  sing  us  your  farewell  song; 
Say  you  are  sorry  to  see  us  go, 
Ah!    you  will  miss  us,  right  well  we  know. 

"Dear  little  lambs,  in  your  fleecy  fold, 
Mother  will  keep  you  from  harm  and  cold; 
Fondly  we've  watched  you  in  vale  and  glade; 
Say,  will  you  dream  of  our  loving  shade?  " 

Dancing  and  whirling  the  little  leaves  went; 
Winter  had  called  them,  and  they  were  content; 
Soon  fast  asleep  in  their  earthy  beds, 
The  snow  laid  a  coverlet  over  their  heads. 

— George  Cooper 


FOURTH- YEAR   GRADE 


TO  THE  TEACHER 

The  author  of  this  book  has  had  much  experience  in 
teaching  language,  and  in  supervising  the  teaching  of 
language,  in  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  Most  of 
her  work  as  a  supervisor  of  the  subject  has  been  in  primary 
and  grammar  grades,  and  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  needs  and  limitations  of  teachers  and  pupils  has  given 
her  a  somewhat  detailed  knowledge  of  their  difficulties 
and  discouragements.  Her  chief  aim  has  been  to  help 
teachers  in  their  efforts  to  develop  in  the  pupil  the  power 
to  think  systematically  and  to  express  his  thoughts  in  good 
English.  This  she  has  endeavored  to  do  by  sympathetic 
advice  and  by  the  introduction  of  simple,  constructive 
methods. 

It  is  her  desire  to  give  to  the  teachers  who  may  use 
this  book  some  of  the  beneficial  results  of  the  experience 
of  the  teacher  and  the  supervisor.  This  has  been  done  by 
placing  in  the  appendix  suggestions  and  advice  on  almost 
every  point  that  has  given  her  teachers  serious  trouble. 
The  author  requests  and  urges  that  these  suggestions  be 
studied  carefully  by  the  teacher,  for  she  considers  them 
one  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  book.  Specific 
reference  is  made  to  each  suggestion  by  the  use  of  Arabic 
figures  in  the  body  of  the  text. 


FIRST   MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Review  of  see,  eat,  write,  go,  come,  do,  give,  break 

NOUNS 

Plurals  systematically  arranged 
Possessives 

QUOTATIONS 

Simple  and  broken 

ADJECTIVES 
ADVERBS 
COMMON  ERRORS 
USE  OF  A  AND  AN 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


io8  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

Write  the  four  forms  of  see,  write,  eat,  go,  come, 
do,  give  and  break.  See  how  they  are  written  in  the  first 
month  of  the  third  grade. 

Then,  in  order  to  learn  to  use  these  verbs  easily  and 
correctly,  give  them  in  the  following  manner: 


I  see 
you  see 
he  sees 
she  sees 

we  see 
you  see 
they  see 

I  write 
you  write 
he  writes 
she  writes 

we  write 
you  write 
they  write 

Do  you  notice  that  with  he  and  she  the  verb  changes'? 
An  s  is  added.  Write  several  other  verbs  to  see  if  it 
always  happens.  Here  are  two: 


I  eat 

we  eat 

I  go 

we  go 

you  eat 

you  eat 

you  go 

you  go 

he  eats 

they  eat 

he  goes 

they  go 

she  eats 

she  goes 

Notice  the  change  when  have  is  used: 

I  have  seen  we  have  seen 

you  have  seen  you  have  seen 

he  has  seen  they  have  seen 
she  has  seen 

Write  sentences  using,  I  have  seen,  she  has  seen. 
See  if  there  is  any  change  in  the  past  tense: 


I  saw 

we  saw 

I  ate 

we  ate 

you  saw 
he  saw 
she  saw 

you  saw 
they  saw 

you  ate 
he  ate 
she  ate 

you  ate 
they  ate 

Write  five  sentences  using  saw. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  109 

In  the  following  sentences,  notice  the  use  of  had 
with  the  fourth  form: 

I  had  seen  the  man  twice  before  you  told  me  about  him. 
You  had  seen  me  before  I  saw  you.  He  had  seen  us  coming 
before  I  called.  We  had  eaten  our  apple  when  you  came. 
You  had  eaten  your  lunch.  They  had  eaten  a  big  piece  of  pie. 

Write  five  sentences  using  had  seen. 

There  is  another  form  that  we  should  be  using  cor- 
rectly. It  is  the  one  used  to  express  future  time,  as 
to-morrow,  or  next  week.  It  is  called  the  future  tense 
or  future  time.  This  is  the  way  it  is  given : 

I  shall  go  we  shall  go 

you  will  go  you  will  go 

he  will  go  they  will  go 
she  will  go 

The  usual  mistake  in  this  verb  is  in  saying  /  will  or 
we  will  where  we  mean  J  shall  or  we  shall.  I  will  means 
that  I  am  determined  to  do  something;  I  shall  means 
that  I  am  going  to  do  it.  Let  us  try  a  few  sentences:1 

I  shall  have  to  go  home  soon.  I  shall  not  be  in  school 
tomorrow.  We  shall  hear  the  bell  ring.  We  shall  see  Julia 
at  the  picnic.  We  shall  take  a  lunch  with  us. 

If  we  put  will  into  these  sentences,  it  expresses  the 
determination  to  do  something.  Shall  means  that  these 
things  are  going  to  happen.  When  we  are  talking  about 
other  persons  we  usually  say  will,  so  there  are  not  many 
mistakes  with  this  word,  as: 

Harry  will  drink  this  glass  of  milk  tonight.  The  boy 
will  fly  his  kite  Saturday.  James  will  carry  the  lunch  for  you. 

Put  shall  into  these  sentences  and  see  how  it  changes 


no  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

the  meaning.  Harry  shall  drink  this  glass  of  milk,  has 
a  very  different  meaning.  James  shall  carry  the  lunch, 
means  that  he  has  very  little  to  say  about  it;  he  must 
do  it. 

Put   together   what  we  have  been   learning  about 
verbs  this  month: 

PRESENT  TENSE 

I  give  we  give 

you  give  you  give 

he  gives  they  give 
she  gives 

PAST  TENSE 

I  gave  we  gave 

you  gave  you  gave 

he  gave  they  gave 
she  gave 

FUTURE  TENSE 

I  shall  give  we  shall  give 

you  will  give  you  will  give 

he  will  give  they  will  give 
she  will  give 

FOURTH   FORM 
(PRESENT  PERFECT  TENSE) 

I  have  given  we  have  given 

you  have  given  you  have  given 

he  has  given  they  have  given 
she  has  given 

FOURTH  FORM 
(PAST  PERFECT  TENSE) 

I  had  given  we  had  given 

you  had  given  you  had  given 

he  had  given  they  had  given 
she  had  given 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  ill 

You  will  find  it  helpful  to  give  in  the  same  tenses 
all  the  verbs  studied  this  month.  In  fact,  you  cannot 
make  many  mistakes  if  you  know  these  forms  thor- 
oughly. Giving  all  the  forms  of  a  verb  is  called  con- 
jugating a  verb. 

Write  the  second  form  (past  tense)  of  eat,  making 
complete  sentences.  Write  the  fourth  form  of  eat,  using 
have  (present  perfect  tense)  and  making  complete  sen- 
tences. Do  you  see  how  these  conjugations  help  you 
learn  to  use  verbs'? 

Write  five  sentences  using  /  shall  or  we  shall. 

Write  five  sentences  using  ate.  Write  five  with 
have  eaten. 

NOUNS 
PLURALS 

Write  the  plurals  of  the  following  nouns: 

dish  cup  man  child  deer 

coach  pupil  woman          ox  sheep 

potato  chair  goose 

tomato  eagle 

splash  tree 

glass  snake 

fox  shoe 

box 

How  many  ways  are  there  of  forming  the  plural'? 
Add  a  few  words  to  each  of  the  above  lists. 

POSSESSIVES 

Select  ten  nouns  from  any  of  your  stories  and  les- 
sons, and  use  their  possessive  forms  in  sentences.  Choose 
the  hard  ones,  so  that  you  will  learn  to  write  them  cor- 


112  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

rectly.  Words  that  end  in  s  are  difficult  to  pronounce  if 
another  s  is  added  for  the  possessive.  The  apostrophe 
is  all  that  is  added  to  such  words,  as :  the  princess'  palace, 
Francis'  hat,  Louis'  gloves. 

Here  are  some  common,  everyday  words  in  the 
singular  and  plural  forms.  Put  them  all  into  the  pos- 
sessive, as  is  done  with  the  first  three: 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

boy's  boys' 

girl's  girls' 

horse's  horses' 

doll  dolls 

dog  dogs 

fox  foxes 

cloud  clouds 

Use  in  sentences  the  possessive  form  of  any  five  of 
the  nouns  given  above. 

Look  around  you  and  write  the  names  of  ten  objects 
you  see.  Put  them  into  the  plural,  and  then  put  both  the 
singular  and  the  plural  into  the  possessive.  The  plural 
possessive  rarely  adds  anything  but  the  apostrophe,  be- 
cause nearly  all  plurals  end  in  s.  Some  plurals  do  not 
end  in  s'9  as,  children.  Then  's  is  added;  as,  the  chil- 
dren's toys.  You  see  the  rule  is  the  same  for  the  plural 
as  for  the  singular.  Write  ten  plural  possessives,  so  as 
to  learn  them  quickly  and  easily,  as:  the  two  girls' 
dresses;  the  birds'  nests. 

Write  in  the  possessive  form  the  names  of  six 
pupils  in  the  room. 

Think  of  the  names  of  ten  persons  you  know  out- 
side the  schoolroom.  Put  these  names  into  the  possessive. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  1 13 


QUOTATIONS 

Write  the  following  sentences,  putting  in  the  quo- 
tation marks: 

Give  me  a  cracker!  cried  Polly.  Where  did  I  put  my 
hat?  said  father.  Here  it  is,  said  mother,  right  on  the  chair. 
May  cried,  Oh  dear!  Oh  dear!  until  her  mother  threatened 
to  send  her  to  bed.  Come  in !  said  father,  when  the  man  asked, 
May  I  have  a  cup  of  coffee? 

In  the  third  sentence,  what  did  mother  say?  Is  it 
all  together?  She  said  it  all,  however,  so  there  must 
be  quotation  marks  around  it  all;  but  as  said  mother 
comes  in  the  middle  of  the  sentence,  there  will  have  to 
be  two  sets  of  quotation  marks. 

In  the  last  sentence,  how  many  quotations  are  there? 
Who  said  the  first  one?  Who  said  the  second  one?  Put 
quotation  marks  around  each. 

(To  the  teacher:  Tell  the  following  story  and  have  the 
children  reproduce  it,  retaining  as  many  of  the  quotations  as 
possible.) 

Two  little  boys  found  a  walnut  under  a  big  tree.  Harry 
said,  "That  is  my  nut  for  I  saw  it  first." 

"It  is  mine,"  said  Robert,  "for  I  picked  it  up." 

So  they  quarreled  long  and  loud,  for  neither  would  give 
the  nut  to  the  other.  Just  then  a  young  man  came  along  the 
road.  He  heard  them  quarreling  and  stopped  to  see  what  was 
the  matter. 

"Whose  nut  is  it?"  he  asked. 

Both  boys  cried  out,  "It  is  mjne !" 

"Give  me  the  nut,"  said  the  young  man,  "and  I  will  settle 
the  dispute." 

He  took  the  nut  from  Robert  and  broke  it  into  two  pieces. 


114  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

He  gave  half  of  the  shell  to  Robert  and  said,  "Here,  Robert,  is 
your  half."  He  gave  the  other  piece  of  the  shell  to  Harry, 
saying,  "Here,  Harry,  is  your  share." 

The  two  boys  stood  with  the  pieces  of  shell  in  their  hands, 
and  the  young  man  said,  "I  will  eat  the  kernel  myself  as  the 
reward  for  my  trouble." 

As  he  walked  away  he  said,  "People  who  quarrel  over 
what  they  have  deserve  to  lose  it  all." 

"It  serves  us  right,"  said  Robert. 

"After  this  we  will  divide  our  own  nuts,"  said  Harry. 

ADJECTIVES2 

The  engineer  was  a  brave  man.  He  died  a  terrible  death. 
Dense  smoke  rose  above  the  burning  building.  The  poor,  lame 
old  man  is  a  beggar.  That  big  dog  is  sick. 

The  words  in  italics  make  a  great  difference  in  these 
sentences.  Leave  them  out,  and  see  how  much  meaning 
is  lost.  That  is  because  they  describe  the  nouns  with 
which  they  are  used.  We  know  that  the  engineer  was 
a  man,  but  what  interests  us  is  to  know  what  kind  of  a 
man  he  was.  Suppose  the  sentence  read,  the  engineer  was 
a  cowardly  man.  Everything  would  be  changed.  These 
words  that  describe  the  nouns  are  called  adjectives,  and 
much  is  added  to  our  speech  and  writing  if  we  are  able 
to  use  them  well.  They  should  fit  the  noun  and  express 
the  condition  we  wish  to  make  plain. 

Select  ten  adjectives  from  your  readers  or  story- 
books, and  put  them  with  nouns  of  your  own  choosing, 
making  sentences. 

Select  five  nouns  and  put  adjectives  with  them. 

Think  about  three  of  the  pupils  in  the  room  and  find 
adjectives  to  describe  them. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  115 

Think  of  five  animals.  Use  adjectives  to  tell  some- 
thing about  them.  Put  them  into  sentences,  every  adjec- 
tive with  its  noun. 

ADVERBS 

I  can  see  you  very  plainly.  Can  you  hear  me  distinctly? 
You  very  kindly  gave  me  your  book.  He  ate  his  cake  greedily. 
The  man  broke  his  ax  suddenly. 

In  the  sentences  given  above,  it  is  not  the  noun  or 
the  object  that  is  described,  but  the  verb  or  the  action 
word.  The  words  that  are  in  italics  tell  how  something 
is  done,  for  they  belong  with  the  verbs.  They  are  called 
adverbs  because  they  are  added  to  verbs. 

Take  any  five  of  the  verbs  from  the  lists  that  have 
been  given,  or  from  the  readers.  Think  of  fitting  adverbs 
to  use  with  them.  Use  them  in  sentences. 

Think  of  five  things  you  can  do.  Tell  how  you  can 
do  them.  Write  these  in  sentences. 


COMMON    ERRORS3 

The  boys  were  late;  they  were  all  playing  marbles. 
Write  five  sentences,  using  they  were.  Remember  not 
to  say  "they  was." 

A  great  many  mistakes  are  made  in  the  use  of  there 
are  and  there  were.  We  hear:  "There's  two  birds  on 
the  fence."  "There  was  two  boys  at  our  house  yester- 
day." What  is  the  mistake  in  each  sentence*?  Put  two 
birds  first.  TW  birds  are  on  the  fence.  We  are  talking 
about  two  things,  so  are  should  be  used.  Put  two  boys 
first.  'Two  boys  were  at  our  house  yesterday.  Again 


n6  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

we  are  talking  about  more  than  one,  so  we  should  use 
were,  not  was.  There  is  often  confusion  in  sentences 
when  there  is  put  first,  but  it  is  very  easy  to  overcome  it. 

There  are  two  birds  on  the  fence.  There  were  two 
boys  at  our  house  yesterday. 

Give  five  sentences  with  there  are.  Five  with  there 
were. 

USE   OF  A   AND   AN 

You  have  learned  about  the  "five  little  sisters,"  or 
vowels,  that  are  so  important  in  making  the  syllables  of 
every  word.  They  are  #,  ^,  z,  o,  u.  You  know  that  when 
one  of  these  letters  begins  a  word,  an  must  be  used  before 
it ;  but  if  a  word  begins  with  a  consonant,  a  is  used  before 
it.  Here  are  a  few  words  to  show  what  is  meant: 

an  apple  a  bat 

an  eagle  a  cow 

an  Indian  a  ditch 

an  orange  a  fish 
an  upland 

Write  many  names,  either  from  memory  or  from 
some  of  your  books.  Put  into  one  column  those  that  begin 
with  vowels,  and  put  into  another  column  those  that 
begin  with  consonants.  Use  a  or  an  as  needed.  A  word 
that  begins  with  u  will  take  an  instead  of  a  whenever  u 
does  not  have  its  clear  vowel  sound.  The  teacher  will 
help  you  if  you  are  uncertain  which  to  use.  Pronounce : 

an  umpire  a  union 

an  upland  a  university 

an  urgent  reason 

Do  you  notice  the  difference  in  the  sounds  of  u  in 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  117 

these  two  lists?  The  first  is  the  vowel  sound  of  u;  it 
takes  an  before  it.  The  second  is  the  consonant  sound 
of  u;  it  takes  a  before  it. 

COMPOSITION4 

Look  out  of  the  window  a  moment  or  two,  and  write 
about  anything  you  see  that  interests  you. 

There  is  a  flock  of  blackbirds  on  the  grass.  Watch 
them  for  a  few  moments;  then  write  about  them. 

What  picture  or  story  or  imagination  comes  to  you 
from  the  words,  "On  a  bright,  sunshiny  day"4? 

Look  at  the  picture  "The  Inundation."  This  long 
word  means  a  flood.  What  has  happened?  Is  it  still 
storming?  Does  it  look  as  if  it  may  storm  again?  Where 
do  you  think  these  dogs  were?  Can  dogs  swim?  Why 
do  they  not  swim  to  shore?  Do  you  think  they  are  fright- 
ened? Does  the  old  dog  have  any  feeling  besides  fear? 
What  are  the  dogs  floating  on?  Does  it  look  safe?  Do 
you  think  it  will  hold  together  much  longer?  Is  a 
dog's  kennel  usually  so  well  made  that  it  can  stand  such 
a  trip?  Do  you  think  that  the  current  of  the  river  is 
strong  and  dangerous? 

Write  what  you  see  in  this  picture  and  the  thoughts 
that  it  suggests  to  you.  Do  not  be  satisfied  with  answer- 
ing the  above  questions,  but  weave  all  your  ideas  together 
into  either  a  well-connected,  interesting  story,  or  a  de- 
scription of  the  picture. 

For  one  of  the  composition  exercises  correct  your 
own  paper.  This  should  always  be  done  before  the 
teacher  makes  any  corrections  in  it.  The  next  day  after 
writing  the  paper  read  it  over  carefully.  You  will  notice 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  119 

that  some  words  are  misspelled;  commas  are  left  out; 
but,  and,  then  are  used  where  they  are  not  needed.  You 
can  change  these  for  yourself,  without  having  the  teacher 
point  them  out  to  you.  Perhaps  you  can  make  improve- 
ments. Two  sentences  may  go  together  nicely  by  using 
-when,  where,  while,  because,  for;  or  who,  which,  that. 
You  may  have  made  a  paragraph  of  only  one  sentence, 
where  two  or  three  sentences  belong  to  the  same  thought. 
Put  them  together. 

Making  corrections  yourself  is  a  very  pleasant 
part  of  the  writing.  You  feel  that  you  know  more 
about  writing  and  that  you  write  better  after  finding 
several  of  your  own  mistakes.  Of  course,  there  will  be 
something  left  for  the  teacher  to  correct,  for  she  knows 
more  than  you  do  about  writing;  but  a  pupil  can  find 
much  to  do  for  himself. 

Here  are  a  few  sentences  written  by  fourth-grade 
children  for  practice  in  using  while,  when,  because,  as  if, 
who,  which: 

You  stay  here  while  I  go  see  if  they  are  coming.  I  will 
go  while  she  stays  at  home.  She  is  going  while  it  is  dark. 
I  will  go  when  you  are  ready.  I  am  going  to  play  when  the 
cows  come  back.  -"I  told  you  when  they  would  be  here,"  she 
said.  I  wonder  when  she  is  coming.  I  went  to  work  when 
he  went  out.  I  will  go  because  you  are  going.  Go  and  milk 
the  cows  because  it  is  getting  dark.  You  told  me  to  look  at  it 
because  it  would  be  fine.  She  is  coming  because  I  told  her  to. 
He  looked  as  if  he  had  been  hurt.  He  ran  as  if  he  did  not 
hear  me  call.  I'd  like  to  know  who  it  was  that  came.  I  will 
ask  who  will  go.  They  told  me  who  was  after  them  today. 
I  didn't  know  which  one  it  was.  They  didn't  know  which  way 
to  go  to  school.  I  do  not  know  which  one  I  should  take. 


SECOND   MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Catch,  teach,  bring,  buy,  fight,  think 

PRONOUNS 

Subject  (nominative)  pronouns 

QUOTATIONS 

ADJECTIVES 

Use  of  the  compared  forms 

PRONUNCIATION 

Correction  of  common  inaccuracies 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  121 


VERBS8 

Write  the  four  parts  of  catch,  teach,  bring,  buy,  fight 
und  think. 

PRESENT  TENSE  PAST  TENSE 

I  catch  we  catch  I  taught         we  taught 

you  catch      you  catch  you  taught    you  taught 

he  catches     they  catch  he  taught       they  taught 

The  present  tense  is  so  easy  that  we  need  not  think 
much  about  it  except  to  pronounce  correctly.  Do  not 
say  "ketch."  Think  of  nine  sentences  for  catch  or  catches. 

Have  you  noticed  that  we  say  you  taught  for  the 
singular  and  you  taught  for  the  plural  also*?  In  some 
places  verbs  change  from  the  singular  to  the  plural;  as, 
he  teach<?j,  they  teach;  the  boy  goes,  the  boys  go;  but 
whether  you  means  one  person  or  many,  the  verb  is  always 
the  same. 

Think  out  ten  sentences  with  taught,  using  who, 
which  or  that. 

The  tense  in  which  have  or  has  is  used  is  called  the 
present  perfect  tense. 

PRESENT  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  have  brought  we  have  brought 

you  have  brought  you  have  brought 

he  has  brought  they  have  brought 

Write  ten  sentences  using  have  or  has  with  brought 
and  taught,  or  with  the  right  form  of  any  of  the  other 
verbs  studied  this  month. 

.  The  past  perfect  tense  of  a  verb  is  the  one  in  which 
had  is  used. 


122  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

PAST  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  had  bought  we  had  bought 

you  had  bought  you  had  bought 

he  had  bought  they  had  bought 

Write  ten  sentences  using  had  with  any  of  the  verlxs 
for  this  month.  Use  when,  because,  while  and  for  in 
these  sentences. 

The  future  tense  expresses  future  time. 

FUTURE  TENSE 

I  shall  think  we  shall  think 

you  will  think  you  will  think 

he  will  think  they  will  think 

Write  ten  sentences  using  the  future  of  any  of  the 
verbs  for  the  month.  Remember  that  when  you  speak 
of  I  or  we  you  should  use  shall,  unless  you  wish  to  say 
that  you  are  determined  to  do  something.  When  you 
speak  of  you,  he,  she,  father,  mother  or  any  one  but  your- 
self, you  should  use  will,  unless  you  are  determined  that 
some  one  must  do  something.  If  you  use  one  of  these 
words  for  the  other  you  change  the  meaning  of  your  sen- 
tence. Read  the  following  sentences;  then  put  will  in 
the  place  of  shall  and  see  what  a  difference  there  is  in 
the  meaning: 

I  shall  not  whisper  again.  I  shall  buy  me  some  new 
books.  I  shall  think  about  you  every  day.  I  shall  bring  all 
my  things  over  here  and  live  with  you. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  shall. 
Use  shall  in  place  of  will  in  the  following  sentences, 
and  notice  the  change  in  the  meaning: 

He  will  not  close  the  door.  My  little  brother  will  feed 
the  dog  tonight.  He  will  go  on  the  seven  o'clock  boat. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  123 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  with 
the  word  required  by  the  sense,  using  some  form  of  break, 
gave,  bought,  saw  or  gone: 

Where  has  your  brother  —    —  ?     Who you  that  new 

watch?     My  old  watch  was  -    — ,  and  my  mother  -      -  me 

this  one.     Have  you  -     -  my  hat?     Yes,  I  it  out  in  the 

yard. 

PRONOUNS6 

In  the  third  grade  you  tried  to  learn  to  use  cor- 
rectly /  and  me;  he  and  him;  she  and  her;  we  and  us; 
they  and  them.  As  you  are  older  now,  you  can  learn  more 
about  these  pronouns,  and  so  be  surer  when  you  are  right. 
Older  persons  know  that  he  is  the  subject  and  him  is  the 
object  in  a  sentence.  They  know  the  subject  and  object 
forms  of  the  other  pronouns  also,  and  so  they  know  which 
one  to  use  in  a  sentence.  If  you  read  thoughtfully  what 
follows,  you  will  get  some  of  this  knowledge  for  your- 
self and  will  be  able  to  use  pronouns  correctly. 

John  went  home  early.  When  we  say  John,  what 
comes  into  our  minds?  It  is  the  boy,  is  it  not?  Is  he 
doing  something,  or  do  we  think  of  the  boy  only?  We 
are  uncertain.  We  see  the  boy,  but  we  need  the  rest  of 
the  sentence  to  tell  if  he  is  doing  anything.  See  if  this 
is  true  of  the  pronouns  in  these  two  sentences:  He  went 
home  early.  I  saw  him.  Which  word,  he  or  him,  makes 
us  think  of  John  as  doing  something?  That  is,  which 
one  makes  us  think  there  is  something  to  be  said  that  will 
tell  what  John  is  doing?  He,  of  course;  for  when  we 
say  he,  we  know  that  the  thought  has  not  been  finished. 
There  is  something  yet  to  come.  Does  he  not  seem  to  you 


124  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

to  stand  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  starting  it  out, 
full  of  something  that  you  are  going  to  hear  about  John 
or  some  other  boy*?  Do  we  have  the  same  feeling  when 
some  one  says  him?  What  kind  of  an  idea  do  we  get 
about  John  when  we  say  him?  Do  we  think  of  him  as 
about  to  do  something,  or  do  we  think  that  something 
has  been  said  or  done?  Does  him  seem  to  begin  or  to 
end  a  sentence?  It  belongs  at  the  end,  does  it  not? 

Can  we  put  John  in  either  place?  John  went  home 
early.  I  saw  John.  That  is  a*ll  right,  but  put  the  pro- 
noun he  into  the  sentence.  He  went  home  early.  I  saw 
he.  The  last  sentence  is  ridiculous,  is  it  not?  He  clearly 
belongs  at  the  beginning  of  the  sentence.  He  is  the  sub- 
ject. Now  use  him  in  both  sentences.  Him  went  home 
early.  I  saw  him.  The  first  sentence  is  childish,  is  it  not? 
You  would  never  say  that.  Him  evidently  belongs  at  the 
end  of  the  sentence.  It  is  the  object.  So,  while  the  noun, 
John,  may  go  in  either  place,  the  pronouns,  he  and  him, 
have  special  places.  He  usually  belongs  at  the  first  of 
the  sentence,  and  him  at  the  end.  He  is  the  subject  form 
and  him  is  the  object  form. 

In  the  sentences  given  above  the  person  who  is  acting 
is  the  subject  of  the  sentence.  In  short  sentences  the 
subject  is  usually  near  the  beginning.  John  went  home 
early.  He  went  home  early.  John  and  he  are  the  per- 
sons who  are  acting,  so  John  and  he  are  the  subjects. 
The  bird  sang  early  in  the  morning.  What  is  it  that  is 
acting  here?  The  bird.  Turn  the  sentence  around. 
Early  in  the  morning  sang  the  bird.  This  does  not  sound 
natural,  for  bird^  the  subject,  comes  at  the  end  of  the 
sentence.  Put  he  in  place  of  the  bird.  He  sang  early  in 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  125 

the  morning.  Early  in  the  morning  sang  he.  In  these 
two  sentences  he  (the  bird)  is  doing  something;  so  he 
is  the  subject.  In  all  of  these  sentences  the  usual  place 
for  the  subject  is  near  the  beginning. 

Do  you  often  hear  sentences  turned  around  this 
way?  No,  the  subject  will  be  near  the  beginning  of  most 
sentences  that  you  will  read  or  hear.  It  is  always  easy 
to  tell  what  is  the  subject  of  a  sentence  by  finding  out 
who  or  what  is  acting  or  doing  something. 

The  pronouns  that  can  be  subjects  are  put  into  the 
following  list: 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

I  we 

he  you 

she  they 
it 

My  doll  is  lying  on  the  chair.  Who  or  what  is 
lying?  The  doll.  So  doll  is  the  subject.  Use  a  pronoun 
in  place  of  doll.  It  is  lying  on  the  chair.  It  is  the  subject 
in  this  last  sentence. 

Mama  gave  me  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter.  In 
this  sentence  who  did  something?  Mama.  Mama  is  the 
subject.  Put  the  pronoun  into  its  place.  She  gave  me 
a  piece  of  bread  and  butter.  She  is  now  the  subject,  for 
she  (mama)  did  something. 

Find  the  subject  nouns  in  the  following  sentences 
and  put  pronouns  into  their  places: 

Mary  is  sick  today.  The  man  fell  down  in  the  street. 
James  is  not  listening.  Will  and  Robert  are  playing  in  the 
yard. 

Give    a    sentence    about    each    of    these    persons: 


126  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

engineer,  letter-carrier,  teacher,  father,  yourself,  two 
of  the  pupils  sitting  near  you,  an  aunt,  an  uncle,  a 
cousin,  one  of  your  neighbors.  Have  them  doing  some- 
thing, saying  something  or  teaching  something;  that  is, 
have  them  the  subjects  of  sentences. 

All  the  words  given  above  are  nouns  to  be  used  as 
subjects.  Put  pronouns  into  their  places.  Do  you  see 
how  the  subject  form  of  a  pronoun  fits  into  the  place  of 
the  noun  used  as  a  subject ? 


QUOTATIONS 

Tell  something  that  has  been  told  you. 

Tell  something  you  heard  some  one  say. 

Make  quotations  of  these,  putting  in  the  marks. 
Then  say  the  same  thing,  but  in  such  a  way  that  the 
quotation  marks  will  not  be  needed  (indirect  quotations). 

My  father  said  that  it  was  going  to  rain.  No 
"frame"  is  needed  around  the  words  here,  for  we  have 
not  father's  very  words.  Tell  now  exactly  what  father 
said,  and  put  the  words  into  their  "frame"  of  quotation 
marks.  My  father  said,  "It  is  going  to  rain."  How  dif- 
ferent this  sentence  looks.  Think  of  several  things  that 
you  have  heard  said  or  that  you  have  read,  and  write 
them  in  these  two  ways.  Be  sure  to  use  the  "frame" 
whenever  the  exact  words  are  used. 

Last  month  you  gave  some  quotations  that  were 
broken  in  two,  so  that  you  had  to  use  the  "frame"  twice. 
Broken  quotations  are  as  easy  as  simple  quotations,  but 
you  should  write  many  of  them  so  that  you  will  not 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  127 

forget  to  use  the  quotation  marks.    Look  at  the  follow- 
ing, noticing  how  a  quotation  can  be  changed  around: 

My  father  said,  "It  will  rain  before  night." 
"It  will  rain  before  night,"  said  my  father. 
"It  will  rain,"  said  my  father,  "before  night." 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  these  sentences,  but  you 
must  be  sure  to  put  the  marks  around  all  that  "my  father" 
said.  This  means  that  you  may  have  to  use  two  sets  of 
quotation  marks  and  two  commas.  But  all  that  you  have 
to  remember  is  to  put  the  marks  around  all  that  is  said, 
and  to  leave  out  of  them  anything  that  is  not  said.  See 
if  you  can  place  them  correctly  in  the  following  sen- 
tences : 

Where  are  you  going  said  I  to  John 
Are  you  going  to  school  or  to  the  barn  said  I  to  John 
Where  are  you  going  said  I  to  John  to  school  or  to  the 
barn 

Whose  hat  is  this  asked  the  teacher 

Whose  hat  is  this  on  the  floor  asked  the  teacher 

Whose  hat  is  this  asked  the  teacher  this  one  on  the  floor 

Think  of  nine  more  sentences  with  broken  quota- 
tions. Give  short  ones,  for  it  is  much  easier  to  be  sure 
they  are  right.  Long  ones  will  come  in  time. 

ADJECTIVES 

James  is  a  brave  boy.  Yes,  but  Harry  is  braver. 
Charles  is  the  bravest  of  them  all. 

If  we  were  talking  about  real  boys,  how  much  more 
we  should  admire  Charles  than  either  of  the  other  two. 
We  should  want  to  know  immediately  what  they  had 


128  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

done.    That  is  because  we  say  about  them,  brave,  braver, 
bravest.    The  bravest  is  the  one  we  like  best. 

Jennie  has  a  small  pony.  Will's  pony  is  smaller. 
Arthur's  pony  is  the  smallest  one  I  have  ever  seen. 

You  would  like  to  see  all  the  ponies,  but  you  would 
rather  see  Arthur's,  because  it  is  the  smallest.  That  is 
because  we  have  gone  from  small  to  smaller,  and  then  to 
smallest.  How  much  these  little  changes  mean  to  our 
adjectives.  It  is  called  comparing  adjectives.  It  keeps 
adding  a  thought  to  the  word  that  we  start  with.  From 
small,  we  go  to  smallest;  from  big,  we  go  to  biggest. 
See  what  it  does  to  the  words  below.  First  give  the  word 
alone  with  the  two  compared  forms;  as,  cold,  colder, 
coldest.  Then  put  them  all  into  sentences,  where  they 
mean  more. 

cold  colder  coldest 

warm  warmer  warmest 

sweet 

pretty 

quick 

slow 

When  an  adjective  is  long  we  compare  it  in  this  way : 

The  storm  last  night  was  terrible.  The  storm  last  week 
was  more  terrible,  and  the  one  a  month  ago  was  the  most 
terrible.  I  have  ever  seen. 

Here  more  and  most  are  used,  but  the  result  is  the 
same  as  when  er  and  est  were  added  to  shorter  words. 
Use  more  and  most  with  the  following  adjectives,  and 
then  make  sentences  in  which  you  use  several  of  them: 


GRADED  LESSORS  IN  LANGUAGE  129 

beautiful 

awful 

sensible 

terrible  more  terrible  most  terrible 

painful 

Find  ten  adjectives  in  your  readers  and  compare 
them.  If  short,  they  will  usually  add  er  and  est.  If  long, 
they  will  be  compared  with  more  and  most.  You  may 
not  always  be  able  to  tell  which  to  use,  but  the  teacher 
will  help  you  if  necessary. 

Write  five  sentences  using  at  least  one  adjective  in 
each. 


PRONUNCIATION7 

Be  careful  to  pronounce  them  as  a  word.  Do  not 
say,  "gettum"  for  get  them;  "lettum"  for  let  them; 
"name  um"  for  name  them. 

Watch  yourself  and  others  for  sentences  in  which 
you  pronounce  them  in  this  way.  Write  five  of  these 
sentences,  spelling  and  pronouncing  the  word  them  cor- 
rectly as  you  do  so.  Try  to  remember  to  pronounce 
them  correctly  when  you  speak. 

PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

For  some  time  you  have  been  dividing  your  little 
stories  into  paragraphs.  Let  us  study  more  fully  what  is 
meant  by  a  paragraph.  You  know  that  a  sentence  should 
be  one  thought.  At  first  sight  there  may  seem  to  be  two 
or  more  thoughts  in  a  sentence;  but,  if  it  is  well  made, 
there  will  be  but  one  connected  thought  in  it.  We  often 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  131 

wish  to  give  more  than  one  thought  about  something. 
Three  or  four  thoughts  or  sentences  belong  together,  and 
they  should  be  written  together.  These  make  a  para- 
graph. As  we  pass  from  one  thought,  divided  into  sev- 
eral small  thoughts  or  sentences,  to  another  thought,  we 
should  go  from  one  paragraph  to  another.  Sometimes 
it  is  difficult  to  tell  where  one  paragraph  ends  and  an- 
other begins.  The  same  is  true  of  a  sentence,  for  it  is 
not  always  easy  to  tell  where  one  sentence  ends  and 
another  begins.  But,  if  you  are  thoughtful,  you  will 
learn  to  divide  your  papers  into  paragraphs  and  your 
paragraphs  into  sentences  almost  unconsciously. 

Well  made  paragraphs  and  sentences  are  always 
marks  of  a  careful,  accurate  writer.  They  add  greatly 
to  any  writing,  for  they  help  bring  out  the  meaning. 
Look  at  a  story  in  one  of  your  books.  Notice  the  para- 
graphs. Why  do  you  think  the  sentences  are  so  grouped 
together*? 


COMPOSITION8 

Look  at  the  picture,  "Great  Expectations."  How 
many  persons  and  objects  are  there  in  it*?  Do  you  think 
the  artist  put  them  there  merely  to  make  a  pretty  picture, 
or  do  they  tell  a  story  about  the  children's  day4?  Where 
are  the  children4?  Do  you  think  it  is  a  school  day? 
What  kind  of  a  place  have  they  chosen  for  their  outing? 
Do  you  think  they  knew  about  this  place,  or  did  they 
happen  to  find  it?  Why  do  you  think  they  went  there? 
What  are  they  doing?  Have  they  a  fishing  rod?  What 
is  the  boy  using  for  one?  Have  they  any  bait?  Where 


132  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

is  it?  Do  you  think  they  planned  going  fishing  when 
they  left  home? 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  this  picture.  The  ques- 
tions are  asked  in  order  to  help  you  find  out  what  is  in 
the  picture.  Do  not  answer  them,  one  after  the  other, 
and  call  that  a  composition.  That  would  be  a  set  of 
answers  to  questions,  and  it  would  not  be  in  the  least 
interesting.  The  questions  may  help  you,  however,  to 
study  and  enjoy  the  picture  so  that  you  can  write  an 
interesting  story  suggested  by  it. 

Watch  some  boy  or  man  using  his  knife,  and  tell 
what  he  can  do  with  it. 

How  are  grapes  gathered?  What  is  done  with 
them?  How  are  they  made  into  raisins?  Write  about 
some  vineyard  that  you  know. 

What  were  you  chatting  about  with  your  chum  at 
noon  or  recess  time?  Write  about  it,  or  about  as  much 
of  it  as  will  make  an  interesting  paper. 

The  following  paper  by  a  fourth-grade  boy  is  given 
with  all  its  imperfections,  as  an  encouragement  to  the 
ea'rnest  pupil  and  teacher.  It  comes  from  a  good  pupil 
in  a  thoroughly  taught  grade.  Suggested  by  a  talk  on 
a  storm,  as  an  introduction  to  a  paper  on  that  subject, 
the  writer  wanders  from  his  theme.  This  is  natural,  it 
is  childlike;  and  the  paper  can  be  rearranged.  Language 
errors  would  have  been  corrected  by  the  writer,  had  he 
been  given  an  opportunity  to  read  over  his  paper;  or 
by  class  correction 'or  by  supervision  of  the  teacher,  had 
it  not  been  desired  to  give  here  the  first  writing. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  133 

A   STORM" 

Once  I  was  on  the  train  and  we  began  to  have  a  hard 
snow  storm.  We  were  about  two  hundred  miles  from  a  big 
snow  shed.  The  fire  man  began  to  make  the  train  go  faster 
but  it  was  no  use  for  when  we  reached  the  snow  shed  the 
track  was  all  loaded  with  snow.  The  train  went  under  the 
snow  shed,  and  it  all  turned  dark.  I  looked  out  of  the  window 
when  all  in  an  instant  something  flew  into  my  eye.  I  took  my 
head  out  of  the  window  and  I  didn't  put  it  out  of  the  window 
until  I  got  out  of  the  snow  shed.  The  next  morning  the 
flowers  were  all  in  their  coats  of  yellow,  red  and  brown  the 
air  was  clear  and  everything  looked  beautiful.  Just  then  we 
went  into  a  large  tunnel  and  I  could  not  see  anything  more  of 
the  flowers  or  the  birds.  When  we  came  out  of  the  tunnel  it 
was  snowing  and  it  looked  as  if  we  had  gone  into  another 
country  under  the  ground. 

I  was  going  to  see  my  grandmother  who  lived  a  long 
ways  off.  We  were  now  not  far  from  the  station  where  we 
were  going  to  get  off  the  train.  We  got  into  my  grand- 
father's coach.  It  was  now  raining  and  snowing  and  I  knew 
that  I  would  be  very  cold  when  I  reached  the  house.  But  I  was 
mistaken  they  wrapped  me  in  a  great  big  shawl  and  I  was  not 
cold  a  bit.  When  we  went  across  the  brook  one  of  the  coach 
horses  stumbled  right  in  the  middle  of  the  brook.  I  thought 
the  horse  had  broke  his  leg,  but  he  did  not  he  had  only 
sprained  his  leg. 

We  reached  the  house  about  six  o'clock  and  my  grand- 
mother had  in  the  oven  some  hot  biscuits.  I  thought  to  myself 
when  I  was  in  the  coach  that  I  would  like  to  have  some  nice 
hot  biscuit  for  my  supper  and  a  cup  of  milk.  I  went  to  bed 
early  and  had  the  best  sleep  since  I  left  home. 

Can  you  find  and  correct  any  of  the  errors  in  this 
paper ?  Can  you  write  as  interesting  a  paper? 


THIRD  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Lie,  lay,  sit,  set 

PRONOUNS 

NOUNS 

Plurals 
Possessives 

QUOTATIONS 
COMMON  ERRORS 
ABBREVIATIONS 
PRONUNCIATION 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS10 

Can  you  tell  the  difference  between  lie  and  lay,  and 
between  sit  and  set?  Which  two  do  you  use  most  fre- 
quently? Are  they  not  lay  and  set?  Many  persons  say, 
"I  am  going  to  lay  down,"  "I  am  going  to  set  in  this 
chair."  Both  sentences  are  wrong.  They  should  be,  I 
am  going  to  lie  down;  I  am  going  to  sit  in  this  chair. 
Probably  it  is  lie  and  sit  that  you  should  learn  to  use,  so 
that  you  can  put  them  in  the  place  of  lay  and  set  in  many 
sentences. 

When  you  are  speaking  about  the  position  of  your 
body  use  lie  and  sit.  Here  are  some  sentences  to  show 
this  use: 

Lie  down  and  rest.  You  must  lie  here  on  this  couch.  I 
lie  under  the  trees  every  morning.  He  can  not  lie  still  for  he 
is  nervous. 

Sit  down  and  rest.  You  must  sit  here  in  this  chair.  Sit 
in  the  light.  Sit  up  straight. 

If  you  are  speaking  of  putting  something  somewhere, 
use  lay  and  set,  as  in  the  following  sentences: 

Lay  the  book  on  the  table.  Lay  the  pillow  on  the  bed. 
Set  the  vase  nearer  to  me.  Set  the  chair  in  a  corner. 

Write  ten  sentences  for  each  of  these  four  words, 
using  only  these  four  forms :  lie,  sit,  lay  and  set.  When 
you  can  use  these  four  correctly  you  will  not  make  many 
mistakes  with  the  other  forms. 

In  order  to  use  all  four  forms  of  lie  and  lay*  sit 
and  set,  study  their  principal  parts:" 


136  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

lie  lay  lying  lain 

lay  laid  laying  laid 

sit  sat  sitting  sat 

set  set  setting  set 

The  past  tense  of  lie  is  lay,  and  at  first  thought  that 
is  very  confusing.  Sat,  the  past  tense  of  sit,  sounds  much 
like  set;  and  that,  too,  is  often  confusing.  The  only  way 
to  learn  these  forms  thoroughly  is  to  say  them  over  and 
over  and  to  give  them  in  many  sentences.  Then,  in 
speaking,  be  careful  to  think  whether  you  mean  position 
of  the  body  or  putting  something  in  some  place. 

SIT 
The  following  sentences  show  position  of  the  body: 

Who  sat  in  my  seat?  I  sat  there.  I  sat  next  my  aunt. 
She  is  sitting  in  the  window. 

Say  over  to  yourself  ten  sentences,  using  sat  or  is 
sitting,  and  then  write  five. 

LIE 

These  sentences,  also,  show  position  of  the  body : 

Go  lie  down.  Lie  down,  Rover.  Were  you  lying  down 
when  I  called  you  ?  Yes,  I  was  lying  in  the  hammock. 

Say  over  to  yourself  ten  sentences,  using  lie  or  is 
lying,  and  write  five. 

SET 

In  the  following  sentences  something  has  been  put 
somewhere : 

Who  has  set  my  lunch  box  on  the  fence  ?  I  set  out  some 
violet  roots  last  night.  The  man  was  setting  out  some  trees. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  137 

Write  five  similar  sentences,  but  be  careful  not  to 
make  one  in  which  some  form  of  sit  should  be  used. 

LAY 

In  these  sentences,  also,  something  has  been  put 
somewhere  : 

Lay  my  hat  and  coat  in  the  wardrobe.  My  father  was 
laying  a  sidewalk. 

Give  five  similar  sentences,  but  be  careful  not  to  use 
some  form  of  lay  where  lie  should  be  used. 

Now  let  us  take  a  more  difficult  use  of  lie  and  sit. 
We  have  been  using  them  in  most  of  our  sentences  to 
show  a  position  of  the  body.  They  may  show  the  posi- 
tion of  anything.  This  is  somewhat  harder  to  remem- 
ber. In  the  following  sentences  some  object  is  lying  in 
some  place: 

The  book  is  lying  on  the  table.  Is  my  hat  lying  on  the 
shelf  in  the  closet?  What  is  that  lying  in  the  road  yonder? 
The  leaves  have  lain  too  long  on  the  grass ;  it  is  turning  yellow. 

Give  two  more  sentences  for  each  of  these  four 
verbs,  using  any  form.  Remember  that  sit  and  lie,  in 
all  their- forms,  mean  position;  lay  and  set,  in  all  their 
forms,  mean  putting  or  placing. 


PRONOUNS 

Last  month  you  were  studying  about  pronouns  used 
as  the  subjects  of  sentences.  A  subject  of  a  sentence  tells 
who  or  what  is  acting  or  doing  something.  Here  is  a  list 
of  the  pronouns  that  can  be  used  as  subjects: 


138  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

I  we 

you  you 

he  they 

she 
it 

Use  subject  pronouns  for  some  of  the  nouns  in  the 
following  sentences: 

The  boys  were  playing  ball.  The  girls  watched  the  boys 
over  the  fence.  The  ball  went  high  in  the  air.  One  of  the 
boys  caught  the  ball  and  threw  it  to  the  pitcher. 

Make  six  sentences  similar  to  the  following,  using 
in  each  the  names  of  two  persons: 

Henry  and  James  came  from  the  car  in  the  rain.  Will 
and  Charles  are  playing  ball. 

Write  the  same  sentences  again,  but  put  a  pronoun 
in  place  of  the  second  name. 

Write  the  sentences  again,  using  I  in  place  of  one 
of  the  names.  Remember  that  out  of  courtesy  /  always 
follows  the  name  of  the  other  person  mentioned. 

REVIEW    LESSONS 

Make  a  list  of  all  the  nouns  in  your  reading  lesson 
or  in  a  story,  grouping  them  by  putting  together  those 
forming  their  plurals  in  the  same  way.  Write  the 
plurals  opposite  the  singulars,  as  follows: 

boy          boys  box  boxes  man          men 

dog          dogs  fox  foxes  foot          feet 

horse       horses  hero  heroes  goose       geese 

knife        knives  lily  lilies 

lady  ladies 

child      children  deer       deer 

ox  oxen  sheep     sheep 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  139 

In  two  other  columns  write  the  singular  and  plural 
possessives  for  all  the  nouns. 

What  do  you  understand  by  the  singular?  What 
do  you  understand  by  the  plural?  What  is  meant  by 
the  possessive? 

Write  a  short  conversation  that  you  heard  at  noon 
or  recess.  Use  the  names  of  the  speakers,  and  quote  their 
words  as  nearly  as  possible.  Remember  the  quotation 
marks. 

Use  in  sentences  burst,  caught,  threw  and  haven't 
any. 

Do  not  say,  "Mary  she  went  to  town,"  for  Mary 
went  to  town;  nor,  "John  he  threw  the  ball,"  for  John 
threw  the  ball. 

Write  the  abbreviations  for  all  the  months  and  the 
days  of  the  week.  Write  the  abbreviations  for  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Street  United  States 

Doctor  Brown  and  Company 

Mister  East  State  Street 

Mistress  West  Bush  Street 

Michigan  South  Jefferson  Street 

(or  your  state)  North  Washington  Avenue 

Write  the  names  of  seven  states  and  the  abbrevi- 
ations for  them.  It  is  better  form  to  write  the  full  name 
of  a  state,  but  you  should  know  the  abbreviation  also. 

Here  are  a  few  more  abbreviations  you  should  know  : 

Professor  Prof. 

Superintendent  Supt. 

Mountain  Mt. 

General  Gen. 

Captain  Capt. 

Post  Office  P.  O. 


140  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Be  sure  to  pronounce  the  syllable  ing  found  in  so 
many  words.  Make  a  list  of  twenty  present  participles, 
saying  /  n  g,  not  in\  as: 

running          playing  going  coming 

singing  shouting  talking  finding 

Remember  to  say  them. 

Get  them          Cut  them  Bring  them       Hunt  them 

SENTENCE   STRUCTURE12 

In  the  sentences  below  notice  that  in  place  of  the 
two  or  three  words  in  italics  one  word  is  used. 

This  doll  is  made  of  zvood.     This  is  a  wooden  doll. 

This  horse  belongs  to  my  father.  This  is  my  father's 
horse. 

There  is  a  beautiful  path  through  the  forest.  There  is  a 
beautiful  forest  path. 

Look  over  one  of  your  papers  to  see  if  you  can 
make  similar  changes. 

COMPOSITION 

Write  the  story  of  a  history  lesson.  Write  the  story 
of  a  science  lesson.  Tell  in  your  own  way  some  story 
that  you  have  read  and  liked. 

Remember  while  writing  to  put  in  periods,  commas, 
capital  letters  and  quotation  marks.  Be  sure  to  use  the 
right  form  of  your  verb.  It  is  much  easier  to  get  into 
the  habit  of  doing  all  these  things  as  one  writes,  than  to 
make  many  corrections  later.  There  will  always  be 
enough  correcting  no  matter  how  careful  you  are  in  your 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  141 

first  writing,  but  you  can  reduce  it  by  being  thoughtful. 
Write  the  story  as  easily  and  as  naturally  as  you  would 
tell  it,  and  keep  trying  to  get  into  the  habit  of  writing 
correctly. 

ORIGINAL    WRITING 

Make  your  papers  from  ten  to  twenty  lines  in  length. 
If  the  papers  are  short,  they  are  fresher  and  better  and 
you  are  not  tired  of  writing. 

Have  you  ever  seen  the  sign  "No  Thoroughfare" 
on  a  bridge  or  in  a  road  where  only  railway  trains  were 
permitted4?  What  does  it  mean?  What  do  you  think 
it  means  when  used  for  the  name  of  the  picture  on  the 
next  page4?  In  this  picture  where  is  there  no  thorough- 
fare4? Who  are  not  permitted  to  go  through  the  field4? 
What  prevents  their  going  through  it4?  Is  it  a  field  that 
persons  are  permitted  to  cross4?  Why  do  you  think  so4? 
Why  are  the  girls  hesitating4?  What  are  they  afraid  of4? 
Why  do  you  think  they  wish  to  go  into  the  field4?  Is 
there  anything  there  they  may  want4?  Look  at  the  cows. 
Do  you  think  they  are  ugly4?  Do  you  think  it  would  be 
dangerous  for  the  girls  to  go  among  them4?  If  they  are 
thoughtless  girls  what  might  they  do  to  make  the  cows 
angry6?  Write  a  short,  interesting  story  suggested  by  this 
picture. 

Tell  about  some  place  that  you  have  seen  recently; 
as  a  picnic  ground,  a  river,  a  lake,  a  museum,  a  fine 
house  or  a  poor  one. 

Tell  about  some  everyday  task;  as  milking  a  cow, 
mowing  a  lawn,  making  the  beds,  baking  a  cake  or  pre- 
paring vegetables. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  143 

Tell  about  something  that  has  seemed  funny  to  you. 

The  teacher  in  a  third  grade  read  a  story  to  the 
class.  The  pupils  reproduced  it,  but  there  were  mis- 
takes in  many  papers. 

Some  misspelled  words  were  selected  from  a  set  of 
papers  for  a  spelling  lesson,  and  twelve  faulty  sentences 
or  expressions  were  used  for  a  language  lesson.  The 
errors  in  spelling  and  language  were  not,  however, 
marked  upon  the  pupils'  papers.  The  sentences  were 
written  upon  the  board  by  the  teacher  and  they  were  dis- 
cussed by  the  class.  Corrections  and  changes  were  sug- 
gested. Then  the  teacher  read  the  story  a  second  time 
and  asked  the  children  to  write  it  more  accurately  if 
possible.  The  second  reproductions  were  well  written. 
The  paper  that  follows  is  from  this  second  set. 

BRUNO,   THE    FAITHFUL  DOG*8 

A  little  boy  had  wandered  away  from  home  with  his  dog 
Bruno.  His  mother  not  noticing  his  absence  went  on  with 
her  work. 

The  little  boy  walked  a  long  way  from  home,  stooping 
to  pluck  the  wild  flowers  which  grew  along  the  stream.  Bruno 
thinking  that  he  was  the  little  boy's  bodyguard,  kept  at  his  side. 

The  boy  seeing  a  very  bright  flower,  stopped  to  pick  it. 
He  slipped,  and  fell  into  the  water. 

Bruno  seeing  the  misfortune  of  his  friend,  jumped  into 
the  water,  and  laid  the  boy  gently  on  the  grass. 


FOURTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Lie,  lay;    sit,  set 

Use  of  object  with  lay  and  set 

PRONOUNS 

Subject  and  object 

PUNCTUATION 
ADVERBS  AND  ADJECTIVES 
COMMON  ERRORS 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  145 


VERBS 

Remember  that  lie  and  sit  mean  position,  and  that 
lay  and  set  mean  putting  or  placing  something. 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  by 
using  the  right  form  of  lie  or  lay,  according  to  the 
meaning : 

Is  your  father  down?     Where  did  you  my 

hat  and  coat?     Are  you  tall  enough  to  -    — the  things  upon 
the  shelf?     Yes,  but  there  is  no  room,  so  many  things  are 

-  there  now.     The  man down  to  rest.     You  have  been 

—  in  the  shade.     that  package  here.  -  down  on 

this  couch. 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  with 
the  right  forms  of  sit  and  set: 

the  chair  in  the  corner.     down  in  this  chair. 

up  straight.     He  -    -  down  to  wait  for  a  friend.     Where 

did  you the  lamp  ? 

Use  the  conjugation  for  a  quick  and  easy  way  of 
giving  many  sentences:14 

PRESENT  TENSE 

I  lie  in  the  hammock  We  lie  in  the  hammock 

You  lie  in  the  hammock  You  lie  in  the  hammock 

He  lies  in  the  hammock  They  lie  in  the  hammock 

PAST  TENSE 

I  lay  down  to  rest  We  lay  down  to  rest 

You  lay  down  to  rest  You  lay  down  to  rest 

He  lay  down  to  rest  They  lay  down  to  rest 

PRESENT  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  have  lain  down  an  hour          We  have  lain  down  an  hour 
You  have  lain  down  an  hour      You  have  lain  down  an  hour 
He  has  lain  down  an  hour          They  have  lain  down  an  hour 


146  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

PAST  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  had  lain  under  the  tree  We  had  lain  under  the  tree 

You  had  lain  under  the  tree  You  had  lain  under  the  tree 

He  had  lain  under  the  tree  They  had  lain  under  the  tree 

FUTURE  TENSE 

I  shall  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 
You  will  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 
He  will  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 

We  shall  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 
You  will  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 
They  will  lie  on  the  couch  an  hour 

Give  the  four  forms  of  the  verbs,  he,  lay,  sit,  set. 
Write  them. 

Write  the  present  tense  of  sit;  of  set;  of  lay; 
of  lie. 

Write  the  present  perfect  tense  of  each. 

THE   OBJECT  OF  A   VERB 

In  learning  to  use  lay  and  set  correctly  it  is  helpful 
to  remember  that  lay  means  to  lay  something  somewhere, 
and  that  set  means  to  set  or  place  something  somewhere. 
That  is,  an  object  is  used  with  lay  and  set.  We  lay  the 
book  on  the  table;  we  set  the  lamp  in  the  window.  If 
we  use  lay  or  set  without  an  object  to  complete  the 
thought,  there  is  no  meaning.  So  we  say  that  lay  and 
set  need  an  object  to  complete  the  meaning. 

Lie  and  sit  do  not  need  an  object.  They  are  com- 
plete thoughts  in  themselves,  except  that  down  is  often 
used  with  them,  as:  Lie  down,  sit  down.  This  need  of 
an  object  is  the  great  difference  between  lie  and  lay,  and 
between  sit  and  set.  If  you  can  understand  this  differ- 
ence you  will  use  all  four  of  these  verbs  correctly. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  147 

SET 

In  the  following  sentences  an  object  completes  the 
meaning  of  set: 

Set  the  plant  on  the  floor.  Set  the  baby  on  the  chair. 
Set  the  clock  back  an  hour.  The  woman  set  the  hen  on  ten 
eggs. 

LAY 

In  the  following  sentences  an  object  completes  the 
meaning  of  lay: 

Lay  my  gloves  on  the  bureau.  Lay  the  hammer  on  the 
work-bench.  Lay  the  newspaper  on  the  table. 

SIT  AND  LIE 

In  the  following  sentences  there  are  no  objects 
needed  to  complete  the  meaning  of  sit  and  lie: 

I  am  going  to  sit  with  you.  The  baby  is  sitting  on  the 
floor.  The  woman  sat  down  in  the  corner  of  the  car.  The 
hen  is  sitting  on  the  eggs. 

The  roses  are  lying  on  the  table.  The  newspaper  is  lying 
on  the  sidewalk.  He  lies  down  an  hour  every  day. 

Before  writing  the  sentences  asked  for  below,  think 
over  again  the  four  forms  of  these  verbs: 

sit  sat  sitting  sat 

set  set  setting  .        set 

lie  lay  lying  lain 

lay  laid  laying  laid 

Give  ten  sentences  with  set,  using  an^  object. 

Give  ten  sentences  with  sit. 

Give  ten  with  lay,  using  an  object. 

Give  ten  with  lie. 


148  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PRONOUNS" 


The  pronouns  that  can  be  used  as  subjects  of  sen- 
tences are  given  below: 

I  we 

you  you 

he  they 

she 
it 

In  reading  the  sentences  given  below  call  yourself 
James.  Write  the  sentences,  using  I  wherever  James  is 
used.  Remember  that  /  comes  after  another  person's 
name,  and  that  you  may  have  to  rearrange  the  subjects. 

James  and  his  father  went  to  the  mill.  Harry,  James  and 
Will  are  playing  ball  in  the  yard.  James  is  ill.  James  and 
Myron  have  gone  to  school.  James,  Harry  and  Austin  are  in 
the  hall. 

Pronouns  are  not  always  used  as  subjects  of  sen- 
tences. Very  often  they  complete  the  meaning  of  a  verb. 
That  is,  they  are  used  as  the  object  of  a  verb.  Let  us 
see  what  this  means.  In  the  following  sentences  use  a 
pronoun  wherever  John  is  used : 

I  see  John.  James  came  with  John.  The  postman  had 
a  letter  for  John. 

John  completes  the  meaning  of  all  these  sentences. 
So  does  him,  the  pronoun  that  you  have  probably  used 
to  take  the  place  of  John.  Both  are  objects  of  the  verbs. 
Let  us  see  if  we  can  as  easily  find  the  object  forms  of 
the  other  pronouns  that  you  have  been  studying.  Put 
them  into  sentences,  and  it  will  be  easy: 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  149 

* 

SUBJECT  OBJECT 

_I_am  going  home  Anton  saw  me 

He  is  going  home  My  mother  saw  him 

She  is  going  home  My  mother  saw  her 

We  are  going  home  The  man  saw  us_ 
You  are  going  home  The  man  saw  you 
They  are  going  home  The  man  saw  them 

SUBJECT  OBJECT 

I  me 

he  him 

she  her 

it  it 

we  us 

you  you 

they  them 

When  you  once  understand  this  use  of  subject  and 
object  you  will  make  few  mistakes  with  your  pronouns. 
The  subject  is  what  is  acting  or  doing  something  or  say- 
ing something.  The  object  completes  the  meaning  of  a 
verb  or  a  preposition.  Notice  the  subject  and  the  object 
in  this  sentence:  John  sang  a  beautiful  song.  Who  is 
acting?  John.  So  John  is  the  subject.  What  word 
finishes  the  meaning  of  sang?  Song.  Song  is  the  object 
of  the  verb.  Put  a  pronoun  in  place  of  John.  He  sang 
a  beautiful  song. 

Find  the  subjects  and  objects  in  the  following 
sentences  : 

The  bird  sat  on  the  tree.  The  woman  gave  me  a  flower. 
The  boy  picked  up  a  ball.  I  saw  the  man  in  the  road.  Martha 
can  not  sing.  You  can  help  your  mother.  The  boys  are 
playing.  You  saw  the  girl  and  me.  I  saw  Tom  in  the  street. 
You  saw  the  boys.  Tom  did  not  see  me. 

Use  pronouns  in  place  of  the  italicized  nouns  in 


150  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

the  sentences  given  on  the  preceding  page.     Tell  which 
are  the  subject  and  which  are  the  object  pronouns. 

Write  ten  sentences,  using  object  pronouns. 
Write  ten  sentences,  using  subject  pronouns. 
Write  five,  having  two  pronouns  for  a  subject. 
Write  five,  having  two  pronouns  for  an  object. 


PUNCTUATION 

Put  the  punctuation  marks  into  the  following  sen- 
tences : 

John  said  Harry  where  are  you  going 

I  am  going  to  the  city  said  Harry 

Oh  you  hurt  me  cried  the  boy 

He  writes  his  name  J  H  Miller 

Send  the  letter  to  Detroit  Michigan 

Dec  9  1906 

John  said  we  would  go  fishing  hunting  and  rowing 


ADVERBS    AND    ADJECTIVES 

This  is  an  awful  nice  apple.  It  is  awful  cold  today.  She 
is  an  awful  pretty  girl.  Her  new  dress  is  just  grand. 

Did  you  ever  notice  how  many  times  some  children 
use  "awful"  *?  It  comes  in  every  time  they  wish  to  be 
emphatic.  If  they  try  to  leave  out  "awful,"  they  seem 
to  have  no  word  left  to  express  their  feelings.  That  is 
the  way  with  some  persons.  They  have  only  a  few 
adjectives  and  adverbs,  and  they  use  them  on  all  occa- 
sions. Everything  is  "pretty" — a  flower,  a  horse,  a 
house,  an  elephant,  a  violet.  Or  everything  is  "awful," 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  151 

"grand,"  "beautiful"  or  "nice."  Persons  who  talk  in  this 
way  have  but  few  words. 

Every  one  likes  to  have  many  words  and  to  know 
how  to  use  them.  First,  know  exactly  what  a  word 
means.  Awful  means  full  of  awe,  that  which  fills  us 
with  awe.  It  is  only  something  great,  wonderful  or  in- 
spiring that  causes  awe.  A  thunder-storm  may  be  so 
terrific  that  we  are  really  awed  by  it.  A  road  around 
some  canyon  side  may  be  awful.  A  train  wreck  may  be 
awful.  But  how  can  an  apple  be  "awful  nice"?  See 
what  words  you  can  put  into  the  four  sentences  given 
above  in  place  of  "awful  nice,"  "awful  cold,"  "awful 
pretty,"  "just  grand." 

Make  a  list  of  ten  adjectives  that  you  use  frequently. 
Look  them  up  in  your  dictionary  to  see  if  you  are  using 
them  with  the  right  meaning.  Use  them  in  sentences, 
sometimes  before  the  noun,  and  sometimes  after  is,  are, 
was  and  were. 


COMMON    ERRORS 

Use  to  in  five  sentences,  as :  I  go  to  school. 
Use  two  in  nine  sentences,  as:  Here  are  two  apples. 
Use  too  in  nine  sentences,  as:   This  is  too  bad. 
Write  three  sentences  using  you  were. 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell   a  Christmas  story  you  have  heard  or  read. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  153 

Make  it  as  vivid  as  the  original,  if  you  can.     Use  direct 
quotations,  for  they  always  give  life  to  a  paper. 
Tell  the  story  of  a  Christmas  poem. 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

Make  up  a  short  Christmas  story  of  your  own. 

Have  a  talk  with  Santa  Claus. 

Write  a  letter  to  some  friend  telling  how  you  expect 
to  spend  your  vacation. 

What  a  jolly  company  of  children  in  the  picture 
"Promenade  on  the  Sea."  The  man  steering  the  boat 
looks  almost  as  happy  as  the  children.  Do  you  think 
the  children  have  run  away  from  home,  or  are  they  out 
for  a  sail  with  an  uncle  or  a  neighbor?  What  kind  of  a 
boat  is  it*?  Is  this  a  large  or  a  small  body  of  water? 
Why  do  you  think  so?  Is  there  any  danger  of  the  chil- 
dren's falling  overboard?  Do  you  know  what  might 
happen  to  the  sail  if  the  wind  should  change  suddenly? 
Imagine  yourself  one  of  these  children,  enjoying  the 
sunny  day,  the  breeze,  the  wide  stretch  of  water,  the 
rocking  boat.  Write  a  story  about  yourself,  the  other 
children  and  the  kind  neighbor  who  is  taking  you  for  a 
sail.  Tell  something  that  is  said,  using  direct  quota- 
tions, for  they  add  much  to  such  a  paper. 

The  pupils  in  a  fourth  grade  had  been  studying 
about  Edison,  and  the  following  paper  was  written 
concerning  one  of  the  incidents  of  his  boyhood: 

On  the  wall  in  his  place  of  business  hangs  in  a  frame 
this  sentence,  "Give  this  boy  all  the  papers  he  wants  on  credit. 
W.  F.  S." 

This  is  the  story  that  Edison  tells  about  this  sentence. 
During  the  war  I  was  selling  papers  on  the  railroad  and  on 


154  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

the  train.  I  went  to  the  paper  office  very  early  every  morning'. 
One  morning  I  went  to  the  office  very  early  and  I  found  every- 
thing in  great  excitement.  I  asked  them  what  the  trouble  was. 
One  man  told  me  that  a  battle  had  been  fought  and  ten  thou- 
sand men  had  been  killed.  I  then  went  to  the  telegraph  office 
and  told  the  man  that  I  would  give  him  a  paper  and  Harper's 
Magazine  for  a  year  if  he  would  telegraph  to  towns  and  tell 
them  that  a  great  battle  had  been  fought  and  ten  thousand  had 
been  killed. 

I  went  back  to  the  office  and  told  the  man  that  I  wanted 
one  thousand  papers.  But  the  man  would  not  give  them  to 
me  without  money.  I  then  went  to  the  Editor's  office.  I 
knocked  but  no  one  answered.  I  then  went  in.  But  he  did 
not  look  up.  But  he  gave  me  that  sentence  written  on  paper. 
Then  the  man  gave  me  all  the  papers  I  wanted. 

When  I  went  on  the  train  I  could  get  ten  cents  for  a 
paper.  At  the  first  town  men  fought  and  gave  me  twenty  five 
cents  for  a  paper.  When  I  reached  Port  Huron  I  jumped  off 
on  a  sand  pile.  I  never  saw  such  a  crowd  before.  They 
screamed  at  me  they  pulled  me  and  they  tore  my  clothes  and 
fought  one  another. 

Men  put  twenty  five  cents,  fifty  cents,  and  a  dollar  and 
sometimes  two  dollars  in  my  pocket  and  dragged  the  papers 
from  me.  Soon  my  papers  were  gone  and  my  hands  and 
pockets  were  full  of  money.  When  I  counted  my  money  I 
found  that  I  had  $150.00.  I  said  if  one  telegram  will  do  this  it 
is  worth  studying.  I  did  study  it. 

This  is  an  interesting  and  well-told  paper.  It  has 
mistakes,  of  course,  for  it  was  written  by  a  fourth-grade 
boy  who  was  so  intent  on  the  story  that  he  forgot  some 
of  the  things  he  knew  about  correct  writing.  Be- 
sides, this  paper  was  not  rewritten.  If  the  boy  had  had 
an  opportunity  to  take  it  a  day  or  two  later,  read  it  over 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

carefully  and  correct  all  the  mistakes  he  could  find,  it 
would  be  in  better  condition. 

Look  over  this  paper,  enjoy  it,  and  then  see  if  you 
can  improve  it  in  any  of  the  little  formal  points  that 
even  fourth-grade  children  know.  Here  are  a  few  sug- 
gestions: Are  all  the  quotation  marks  used  that  are 
needed4?  Is  there  any  unnecessary  repetition  of  words'? 
In  the  sentence,  "I  asked  them  what  the  trouble  was," 
who  is  meant  by  them?  Would  it  be  better  to  put  in  a 
noun?  Why? 

In  the  third  paragraph,  do  you  think  that  the  sen- 
tences are  well  formed?  Take  the  three  sentences  as 
written :  "I  then  went  in.  But  he  did  not  look  up.  But 
he  gave  me  that  sentence  written  on  paper."  Are  these 
really  three  different  sentences?  Which  of  these  sen- 
tences belong  together?  Why?  Is  "twenty  five"  written 
correctly?  Where  should  commas  be  used  that  are  omit- 
ted in  this  paper?  What  other  improvements  can  you 
make?16 


FIFTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Review  do,  go,  come,  sit,  lie,  see,  write,  bring,  teach 
Win,  shake,  ring,  sing,  can,  may 

PREPOSITIONS 
PRONOUNS 

NOUNS 

Plurals 
Possessives 

PRONUNCIATION 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  157 


VERBS 

Write  the  four  forms  of  do,  go,  come,  sit,  lie,  see, 
write,  bring  and  teach. 

Are  you  still  using  "seen"  instead  of  saw?  If  so, 
write  the  conjugation  of  saw,  making  complete  sentences 
for  all  of  the  six  places,  as : 

PAST  TENSE 

I  saw  him  come  We  saw  the  ball  game 

He  saw  me  playing  You  saw  the  ice  man 

She  saw  her  aunt  They  saw  the  horse  fall 

Think  of  some  of  your  incorrect  uses  of  saw, 
and  put  the  correct  forms  into  conjugations,  making  com- 
plete sentences.  Write  above  a  conjugation  the  name  of 
its  tense,  as  past  tense  is  written  above  the  one  just  given. 

Here  are  some  new  verbs : 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

win  won  winning  won 

shake  shook  shaking  shaken 

ring  rang  ringing  rung 

sing  sang  singing  sung 

We  say,  he  rang  the  bell;  or  we  may  say,  he  rung 
the  bell.  The  same  is  true  of  the  past  tense  of  sing;  two 
words  are  used,  sang  and  sung.  Rang  and  sang  are  the 
better  forms  to  use,  however,  so  let  us  practice  oh  them. 

Give  nine  sentences  with  rang.     Nine  with  sang. 

Give  five  sentences  with  shook. 

Write  the  conjugation  of  the  present  perfect  tense 
of  shake  (I  have  shaken).  Give  ten  sentences  using 
shaken. 


158  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Write  the  conjugation  of  the  present  perfect  tense 
of  sing.  Give  ten  sentences  using  have  sung  or  has  sung. 

CAN  AND  MAY 

Can  and  may  are  often  confused  by  persons  who  do 
not  know  how  to  tell  one  from  the  other ;  but  if  you  have 
learned  what  each  word  means  you  can  easily  use  them 
correctly.  Can  shows  power ;  it  says  that  you  are  able  to 
do  a  certain  thing.  May  shows  permission;  it  says  that 
you  are  permitted  to  do  something.  The  sentences  given 
below  will  show  or  illustrate  this  difference  in  meaning. 
You  should  study  these  sentences  carefully,  because  it  is 
always  easier  to  get  the  meaning  of  a  word  when  you  see 
how  it  is  used  in  a  complete  thought. 

I  can  write  my  lesson  (I  know  it,  and  so  I  can  write  it). 
It  has  stopped  raining;  we  can  play  ball  this  recess.  I  am  so 
tall  I  can  hang  my  coat  on  the  highest  hook.  I  can't  learn  this 
lesson;  it  is  too  hard.  The  bird  can  sing  beautifully.  The 
engine  can  draw  a  long  train  of  cars. 

Ella,  you  may  water  the  plants  if  you  wish  to  (Ella  has 
permission  to  water  the  plants).  Mama  says  I  may  go  to  the 
circus  tomorrow.  You  may  leave  my  marbles  in  my  desk, 
James.  May  I  go  home,  Miss  Allen? 

PREPOSITIONS    AND    PRONOUNS17 

Write  sentences  in  which  you  use  in,  into,  between, 
by,  with,  for  and  to. 

There  is  a  difference  between  in  and  into.  In 
means  inside  of,  within;  as,  he  is  in  the  house.  That  is, 
he  is  inside  of  the  house,  or  he  is  within.  Into  means 
from  the  outside  to  the  inside;  as,  go  into  the  house. 
That  is,  go  from  the  outside  to  the  inside  of  the  house. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  159 

Come  into  my  room.  Put  the  books  into  the  closet.  We 
would  say,  however,  I  am  in  my  room;  the  books  are  in 
the  closet. 

Write  three  sentences  using  in.  Write  two  using 
between.  Write  two  using  for. 

In,  into,  between,  by,  with,  for  and  to  are  preposi- 
tions. What  use  do  you  think  they  have  in  a  sentence5? 
In,  'Tut  the  books  into  the  closet,"  between  what  two 
words  does  into  show  the  relation4?  Is  it  between  books 
and  closet,  or  "put  and  closet? 

Finish  the  following  thoughts  by  putting  in  object 
pronouns : 

I  saw .     He  helped  -  — .     Julia  came  to  school  with 

.     He  gave  -     -  to .     We  saw  -     -  and  -  — .     Ella 

wrote  a  letter  to and .     He  struck and . 


By  putting  subject  pronouns  into  the  following  sen- 
tences show  that  some  one  is  acting: 

heard  the  bird  singing. and  — —  are  reading 

the  book  together.  and are  making  a  new  dress. 

Pronouns,  as  well  as  nouns,  have  possessive  forms. 
They  are  generally  used  correctly  after  the  child's  mis- 
takes of  saying  "hisn,"  "hern,"  "ourn"  and  "theirn"  are 
conquered.  Here  are  the  three  forms  of  the  pronouns: 

SUBJECT  POSSESSIVE  OBJECT 

I                                     my  me 

he                                     his  him 

she                                   her  her 

it                                      its  it 

we  our  us 

you  your  you 

they  their  them 


160  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Think  of  five  sentences  in  which  possessive  pronouns 
are  used. 

Think  of  five  in  which  objective  pronouns  are  used. 

Think  of  five  in  which  subject  pronouns  are  used. 

A  pronoun  may  be  used  as  the  object  of  a  preposi- 
tion, as:  He  gave  the  book  to  me;  he  gave  the  book  to 
Minnie.  Put  these  two  sentences  into  one:  He  gave 
the  book  to  Minnie  and  me.  Sometimes  we  hear,  "He 
gave  the  book  to  Minnie  and  I."  This  is  wrong.  No 
one  would  say,  he  gave  the  book  to  I ;  and  no  matter  how 
many  other  names  may  come  into  the  sentence  we  con- 
tinue to  say,  to  me.  He  gave  the  book  to  John,  Minnie 
and  me.  He  gave  the  book  to  John,  James,  Henry, 
Minnie  and  me.  Whenever  a  pronoun  completes  the 
meaning  of  a  preposition,  it  must  be  an  object  pronoun, 
not  a  subject  pronoun. 

Sit  by  me;  sit  by  Fred  and  me.  Come  with  me; 
come  with  Uncle  Will  and  me.  The  glass  is  for  me; 
the  glass  is  for  you  and  me.  Do  you  notice  that  in  all 
these  sentences  me  is  the  object  pronoun?  An  object 
pronoun  comes  after  a  preposition  whether  it  stands  alone, 
or  is  used  with  other  pronouns,  or  is  used  with  one  or 
more  nouns. 

Use  in  sentences  object  pronouns  after  the  preposi- 
tions in,  into,  between,  by,  with,  for  and  to.  In  some  of 
the  sentences  use  two  or  more  pronouns  as  objects  of  the 
prepositions.  In  others  use  a  pronoun  and  some  person's 
name;  as,  for  Miss  Brown  and  me. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  161 


NOUNS 

Write  the  singular  and  the  plural  of  the  nouns  in 
the  reading  lesson. 

Write  the  possessive  of  both  the  singular  and  the 
plural.  - 

Make  a  list  of  five  names  ending  in  s;  as,  James, 
Charles.  Write  in  sentences  the  possessive  forms  of 
these  names.  It  is  well  to  review  points  that  are  easily 
forgotten. 

PRONUNCIATION18 

Be  careful  not  to  say  then  for  than.  Pronounce  the 
a  clearly.  Say,  Mary  and  me,  not  Mary  an'  me. 

Notice  your  own  pronunciation  and  that  of  other 
pupils.  Select  five  places  like  the  above  where  pro- 
nunciations are  not  clear  or  where  words  are  run  together. 
Say,  he  comes  early'  not  he  come  searly  (he  comes 
surly) . 

SENTENCE    STRUCTURE19 

You  have  studied  a  little  about  the  subject  of  a  sen- 
tence; you  know  something  about  verbs;  and  you  know 
that  an  object  is  often  needed  to  finish  or  complete  the 
meaning  of  a  verb.  These  three,  the  subject,  the  verb 
and  the  object,  are  the  important  parts  of  every  sen- 
tence. We  can  not  have  a  sentence  without  a  subject 
and  a  verb,  although  we  may  have  a  great  many  sentences 
without  objects.  See  if  you  can  find  the  subjects,  verbs 


162  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

and  objects  in  the  sentences  below.  Write  them  like  the 
two  that  are  given  to  show  you  how.  Put  the  subject 
first,  then  the  verb,  then  the  object  if  there  is  one.  Leave 
out  all  other  words.  Leave  a  space  between  the  words 
and  separate  them  by  a  short  line. 

The  engine  draws  a  long  train.  Mama  gave  me  an  apple, 

engine     |    draws     |     train  Mama     |     gave     |     apple 

The  boy  saw  the  bird.  I  broke  my  doll.  The  man  had 
a  horse.  The  flower  is  broken.  The  fish  swims  fast.  Many 
fish  live  in  the  river.  My  father  had  a  beautiful  horse. 

COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Reproduce  the  story  of  some  lesson.  Choose  one 
that  you  enjoyed,  and  write  an  interesting  paper  about 
it.  Do  not  try  to  write  much  at  a  time,  for  you  become 
tired  and  lose  your  interest,  and  therefore  the  paper  is  not 
so  good.  If  the  story  you  wish  to  write  is  long,  divide 
it  into  parts,  telling  one  a  day  until  all  have  been  written. 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

Some  day  when  it  is  storming  look  out  of  the 
window  for  a  few  minutes,  watching  everything.  Notice 
the  trees,  the  effect  of  the  wind,  the  way  the  rain  is  fall- 
ing. Then  write  what  you  have  seen.  You  may  be 
surprised  to  see  how  interesting  a  storm  is. 

Tell  how  you  made  a  sled,  a  wagon,  a  boat,  an 
apron,  a  dress  or  any  large  article. 

Have  you  an  animal  in  which  you  are  greatly  inter- 
ested? If  so,  write  about  it. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  163 

Tell  the  story  of  a  picture.  The  "Pied  Piper"  is 
a  picture  that  is  full  of  interest.  It  was  suggested  to 
Kaulbach,  a  famous  German  artist,  by  a  legend  about  an 
old  German  town.  This  legend  is  charmingly  told  by 
Robert  Browning  in  a  poem  called  "The  Pied  Piper  of 
Hamelin."  You  can  find  the  poem  in  any  library  that 
has  a  copy  of  Browning's  poems,  or  you  may  find  it  in  a 
reader.  Read  it,  for  you  will  greatly  enjoy  both  the 
legend  and  the  poem.  Then  study  the  picture  on  the 
next  page  and  write  your  paper.  If  you  can  not  find 
the  poem  write  an  imaginary  story  about  the  picture. 


H.  KAULBACH 


THE    PIED    PIPER    OF    HAMELIN 


SIXTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Shine,  wind,  find,  bind 

NOUNS 

Singular  and  plural 

PRONOUNS 

Possessives 

ADJECTIVES 
ADVERBS 

PRESENT   PARTICIPLES 
Used  as  adjectives 

PUNCTUATION 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


166  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

The  new  verbs  for  this  month  are  shine,  wind,  find, 
bind.  They  are  easy  ones  to  learn.  Make  ten  sentences 
using  all  of  these  verbs.  Write  five  of  your  sentences. 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

shine  shone  shining  shone 

wind  wound  winding  wound 

find  found  finding  found 

bind  bound  binding  bound 

Write  the  conjugation  of  the  past  tense  of  shine, 
making  complete  sentences.  Give  five  sentences  not  in 
your  conjugation.  Think  of  five  things  that  can  shine, 
and  make  sentences  about  them,  using  has  shone;  as,  the 
sun  has  shone. 

Write  the  present  perfect  tense  of  bind,  making 
complete  sentences;  as,  I  have  bound  up  my  sore  finger. 
Give  five  sentences  not  in  your  conjugation. 

Is  there  a  form  of  any  of  these  verbs  that  you  do 
not  use  correctly?  Do  you  use  the  past  tenses  correctly4? 
Some  say,  "He  wounded  the  string,"  in  place  of  he 
wound  the  string.  Do  you?  If  there  is  a  place  where 
you  make  a  mistake  in  any  of  these  verbs,  think  of  many 
sentences  for  that  form  and  write  at  least  five.  Try  not 
to  make  the  mistake  again.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to 
remember  to  use  the  correct  form  when  speaking  or  writ- 
ing, for  these  verbs  are  so  easy  that  but  little  drill  is 
needed. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  167 


NOUNS  AND  PRONOUNS 

Write  the  singular  and  the  plural  of  the  nouns  in 
any  one  of  your  lessons. 

Write  the  possessive  singular  and  the  possessive 
plural  of  the  same  nouns. 

There  is  always  something  to  learn  about  words  and 
language.  Last  month  we  wrote  the  three  forms  of 
pronouns — the  subject,  the  possessive  and  the  object. 
These  three  forms  are  given  again  below,  and  in  the 
possessive  there  is  a  second  word  that  is  often  used : 

SUBJECT  POSSESSIVE  OBJECT 

I  my  or  mine  me 

he  his  him 

she  her  or  hers  '    her 

it  its  it 

we  our  or  ours  us 

you  your  or  yours  you 

they  their  or  theirs  them 

We  cannot  use  their  and  theirs  in  the  same  place. 
See  if  you.  can  find  out  when  to  use  their  and  when  to  use 
theirs.  Here  are  some  sentences  that  will  help  you: 
Where  is  their  ball?  Here  is  my  ball,  but  where  is 
theirs?  Where  did  you  put  th eir  hats?  John  found  his 
hat,  and  here  are  theirs  in  the  hall. 

Give  one  sentence  using  her;  then  one  with  hers. 
Give  one  with  our;  then  one  with  ours.  Give  one  with 
my;  then  one  with  mine.  Can  you  tell  yet  why  you  can- 
not use  mine  in  place  of  my?  If  not,  write  a  few  more 
sentences  with  these  words,  and  you  will  understand  the 
difference  in  using  them. 


l68  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

You  have  learned  to  use  myself  and  yourself  and 
other  pronouns  ending  in  self.  Can  you  find  out  now 
how  these  forms  are  made?  Do  they  come  from  the 
subject  pronouns?  From  the  object  pronouns?  From 
the  possessive  pronouns?  Find  out  from  the  following 
table : 


I 

my 

me 

myself 

he 

his 

him 

himself 

she 

her 

her 

herself 

we 

our 

us 

ourselves 

you 

your 

you 

yourselves  and  yourself 

they 

their 

them 

themselves 

How  many  come  from  the  possessive  forms? 
Which  ones  do  not?  With  which  ones  do  you  make  mis- 
takes? Do  you  ever  say,  or  hear,  "hisself,"  "their- 
selves?"  Why  do  you  suppose  these  mistakes  are  made? 

Why  are  there  two  forms,  yourself  and  -yourselves, 
in  the  second  person?  Why  do  we  have  self  in  the  first 
three  forms,  and  selves  in' the  last  three?  What  is  the 
plural  form  of  wolf;  of  knife? 


REVIEW    LESSONS 

Use  the  following  words  in  sentences: 

wise  brave  savage 

famous  misspelled  precious 

merry  funny  curious 

Put  them  before  nouns;  as,  Solomon  was  a  wise 
man.  Use  them  after  £r ,  are,  was  and  were ;  as,  Solomon 
was  wise. 

Look  at  a  list  of  verbs  anywhere  in  this  book.     Use 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  169 

some   of   these   verbs   in   sentences   with    the    following 
adverbs : 

wisely  bravely  savagely 

merrily  curiously  strangely 

well  brightly  slowly 

Read  over  your  sentences  thoughtfully,  to  see  if 
the  verbs  and  adverbs  go  well  together. 

Use  the  following  participles  as  adjectives,  telling 
something  about  a  person,  a  place  or  an  object: 

shining  flying  eating  thinking 

playing  fighting  buying  drinking 

In  how  many  places  can  you  use  a  comma  ?  Write 
sentences  to  show  these  uses. 

In  how  many  places  can  you  use  a  period*?  Write 
sentences  to  show  these  uses. 

Where  do  you  use  an  interrogation  point4?  An 
exclamation  point?  Give  sentences  to  show  this. 

How  many  kinds  of  sentences  do  you  know  about4? 
What  punctuation  do  you  place  at  the  end  of  each? 


SENTENCE    STRUCTURE 

He  rode  a  white  horse.  About  whom  are  we  talking 
in  this  sentence?  He.  What  did  he  do?  He  rode. 
Did  he  ride  anything?  Yes,  a  horse.  He  is  the  subject, 
rode  is  the  verb  and  horse  is  the  object.  They  are  written 
below,  separated  as  in  the  sentences  studied  last  month. 

He    I    rode    !    horse 

A  dreadful  wind  was  blowing.  What  are  we  talk- 
ing about  in  this  sentence?  A  wind.  What  was  the 


170  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

wind  doing?  It  was  blowing.  What  was  the  wind 
blowing?  Nothing.  The  subject  is  wind;  the  verb  is 
was  blowing,  and  there  is  no  object.  If  we  write  the 
subject  and  the  verb  and  omit  the  other  words,  we  have 
the  following: 

wind  1  was  blowing 

A  short  line  is  placed  between  wind  and  was  blow- 
ing so  that  you  can  tell  at  a  glance  what  part  of  the 
sentence  is  the  subject  and  what  part  is  the  verb.  In 
some  of  the  other  lessons  in  this  book,  more  of  these  little 
lines  will  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  helping  you  see 
and  understand  the  different  parts  of  a  sentence. 

The  man  and  the  dragon  went  together  through  the 
woods.  Here  we  are  talking  about  the  man  and  the 
dragon.  They  went.  The  rest  of  the  words  are  neces- 
sary to  the  sense,  but  they  are  not  the  object  of  the  verb. 
So  we  write : 


man 

;  and 
dragon 


went 


Write  sentences  in  which  you  use  the  following 
words : 

who  when  flying 

which  where  breaking 

that  since  shouting 

because  crying 

for 

Can  you  use  the  participles  in  the  third  column  in 
more  ways  than  one.  See  how  flying  is  used  in  these 
sentences.  The  bird  is  flying.  Flying  is  here  a  part  of 
the  verb.  The  flying  bird  was  a  robin.  Flying  is  here 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  171 

an  adjective.     See  if  you  can  use  each  of  the  other  present 
participles  in  two  ways. 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell  the  story  of  some  of  the  lessons. 

ORIGINAL    WRITING 

Tell  the  story  of  a  picture  that  you  like. 

Is  a  story  suggested  to  you  by  the  word  climbing? 
Picture  to  yourself  something  about  climbing;  then  write 
your  story. 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  the  words,  out  for  a  ride. 

If  you  live  near  the  ocean  or  a  large  lake  you  will 
understand  and  enjoy  the  picture  on  the  next  page, 
"Return  of  the  Fisherman."  If  you  do  not  live  near  a 
large  body  of  water,  this  picture  will  surely  make  you 
wish  that  you  could  see  a  sailing  vessel  like  the  one  pic- 
tured here.  See  how  the  sails  swell  out  in  the  wind.  Do 
you  see  the  lighthouse  and  the  boats  out  on  the  sea?  Tell 
a  story  about  this  picture.  It  may  be  a  true  one  or  an 
imaginary  one. 

The  following  little  story,  written  by  a  fourth-grade 
child,  was  suggested  by  the  words  "One  Pleasant  Day," 
given  by  the  teacher  to  the  class: 

ONE    PLEASANT    DAY 

One  pleasant  morning  when  I  was  walking  to  school  I 
saw  a  pretty  little  bird.  She  was  building  a  nest  and  I  looked 
at  it  and  tried  to  make  one  but  I  could  not  make  one  like  hers. 


TH.  WEBER 


RETURN    OF    THE    FISHERMAN 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  173 

So  I  came  on  to  school,  and  on  my  way  I  saw  squirrels 
peeping  out  of  their  holes  and  jumping  back  into  them  when 
they  saw  me. 

What  do  you  think  of  the  second  sentence?  Does  it 
all  belong  together,  or  are  there  two  thoughts  in  it? 

Here  is  a  story  told  by  a  fourth-grade  boy  about  a 
picture  that  he  liked: 

TED    AND     HIS     NEW     BOAT 

Ted  was  a  boy  who  lived  on  a  small  farm.  He  had  no 
brothers  or  sisters,  but  he  liked  to  sail  toy  boats. 

One  day  Ted  was  tired  and  discouraged  from  the  old  boat 
going  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  Ted  could  not  live  without 
a  boat  to  play  with  and  he  could  not  get  the  old  boat  out  of 
the  water  because  the  lake,  was  deep  and  wide.  So  he  decided 
to  make  a  new  boat. 

His  father  had  some  men  working  in  the  pine  forest  near 
by,  so  Ted  went  over  to  where  the  men  were  working.  He  got 
a  log  two  feet  long  and  six  inches  in  diameter.  He  took  it 
home  and  got  a  knife,  a  saw,  a  plane  and  a  hammer. 

Soon  the  boat  was  done.  He  put  the  boat  in  the  water 
and  sailed  it.  He  made  another  one  and  this  one  he  tied 
behind  the  sailboat.  He  named  the  boat  the  "Mary  Garret." 

He  played  he  was  going  to  Berlin  to  land  some  coal  from 
New  York.  It  landed  safe  at  Berlin. 

The  writer  of  this  paper  was  interested  in  his  picture, 
and  he  succeeded  in  thinking  out  a  well  connected  story. 
It  sounds  almost  as  if  he  himself  had  played  with  the 
boat,  and  this  is  what  makes  his  story  seem  real. 

He  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  make  corrections 
in  his  paper.  Can  you  make  some  for  him?  Did  he 
use  all  the  commas  needed?  Would  you  say  a  "log  two 


174  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

feet  long  and  six  inches  in  diameter?"  What  would 
such  a  piece  of  wood  be  *? 

Let  us  consider  the  paragraphs  in  this  story.  The 
first  paragraph  is  short;  but  that  is  all  right,  especially  in 
a  child's  paper.  It  tells  who  Ted  was.  We  may  say 
that  it  introduces  the  boy  to  the  reader.  The  second 
paragraph  shows  how  important  a  boat  was  to  the  happi- 
ness of  Ted,  and  the  necessity  of  having  a  new  boat. 
The  third  tells  how  Ted  got  together  the  material  for  a 
new  boat.  The  fourth  tells  of  making  the  boats,  and 
the  fifth  tells  of  the  success  of  the  play  voyage. 

Probably  the  writer  of  this  little  story  did  not  think 
out  all  of  these  points  before  he  began  to  write;  but,  as 
he  wrote,  when  he  noticed  that  he  had  finished  one 
thought,  he  began  a  new  paragraph.  That  is  the  way 
to  write  many  papers.  When  the  story  is  long  it  is  well 
to  make  a  short  outline.  Its  headings  will  usually  be 
the  thoughts  for  the  paragraphs. 

My  Pets  is  a  very  simple  subject  for  a  paper.  Let 
us  say  that  you  have  a  dog,  a  cat  and  a  horse.  You  are 
going  to  write  about  them  all.  In  the  first  paragraph 
you  may  wish  to  give  some  thoughts  that  belong  to  all 
three  pets.  You  wish  to  tell  how  much  you  think  of 
them,  whether  they  are  yours,  or  whether  you  merely 
call  them  yours.  After  this  introduction  each  pet  has  a 
paragraph  to  itself;  perhaps  it  will  have  more,  if  there 
are  several  things  to  be  told  about  any  one  of  them. 
They  may  all  be  in  the  country  at  your  grandmother's, 
and  you  tell  that  to  finish  the  story. 

Write  on  this  subject,  or  some  other  that  you  can 
easily  divide  into  paragraphs  before  beginning  to  write. 


SEVENTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Summary  of  half  the  verbs  of  the  year 

NOUNS 

Plurals 

PRONOUNS 
PUNCTUATION 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


i76 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS20 

As  we  are  nearing  the  end  of  the  year,  it  is  well  to  go 
over  what  you  have  been  trying  to  learn,  in  order  to  be 
sure  that  it  is  well  known  and  that  it  is  in  everyday  use. 
Below  are  half  of  the  verbs  studied  so  far  this  year,  with 
some  of  those  studied  last  year.  Lay  a  piece  of  paper 
over  the  last  three  forms.  Copy  the  present  tenses. 
Finish  your  list  by  writing  the  other  three  forms  in  their 
proper  places,  without  looking  at  the  book.  When  your 
list  is  finished  compare  it  with  the  one  in  the  book. 

PAST 
PARTICIPLE 

eaten 

beaten 

bitten 

hidden 

given 

ridden 

been 

seen 

come 

gone 

done 

torn 

won 

shone 

stuck 

struck 

lain 

sat 

dug 

laid 

set 

rung 

sung 


PRESENT 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

eat 

ate 

eating 

beat 

beat 

beating 

bite 

bit 

biting 

hide 

hid 

hiding 

give 

gave 

giving 

ride 

rode 

riding 

be 

was 

being 

see 

saw 

seeing 

come 

came 

coming 

go 

went 

going 

do 

did' 

doing 

tear 

tore 

tearing 

win 

won 

winning 

shine 

shone 

shining 

stick 

stuck 

sticking 

strike 

struck 

striking 

lie 

lay 

lying 

sit 

sat 

sitting 

dig 

dug 

digging 

lay 

laid 

laying 

set 

set 

setting 

ring 

rang 

ringing 

sing 

sang 

singing 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  177 

Write  the  past  tense  of  eat,  making  complete  sen- 
tences. Give  five  sentences  not  in  your  conjugation. 

Write  the  present  perfect  tense  (I  have  eaten). 
Give  nine  sentences  using  eaten. 

Make  a  list  of  all  the  forms  of  these  verbs  that  you 
use  incorrectly.  Think  out  three  sentences  for  every 
such  form  and  write  one.  If  you  make  a  great  many 
mistakes  divide  this  into  two  lessons ;  but  be  sure  to  think 
of  all  your  mistakes.  That  is  the  way  to  correct  them. 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  by  using 
fitting  words  from  the  list  below  them : 

Who  has my  apple  ?     Charlie  has  to  school. 

Mary  has her  apron.     Some  one  has a  piece  out  of 

my  pie.     We  have five  miles  this  morning.     This  pen  is 

;  who it? 

torn  eaten  bitten  gone 

did  ridden  broken 


REVIEW    LESSONS 

How  many  ways  are  there  of  forming  the  plurals  of 
nouns?  Make  a  list  of  twenty  nouns  in  the  singular, 
choosing  them  from  the  reader,  a  story-book  or  any 
conversation.  In  an  opposite  column  write  the  plurals. 


Fill  out  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences: 

He  broke  the  window  self.     The  boys  blamed  me, 

but   they   hid   the   hammer   selves.     Here,    John,    is   the 

parcel ;  can  you  lift  it  your ?     I  did  it  my . 

The  pronouns  who,  which  and  what  are  sometimes 


178  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

used  to  connect  parts  of  sentences.  That  is  the  way  in 
which  you  have  been  using  them.  They  may  also  be 
used  to  ask  questions,  as  follows: 

Who  took  my  hat?     Which  horse  can  you  ride?     What 
flowers  have  you  planted  this  spring? 

Write  two  sentences   for  each  of  these  pronouns, 
asking  questions  with  them. 


Write  a  sentence  using  a  series  of  nouns,  putting  in 
the  commas  correctly,  as :  Father,  mother  and  the  children 
are  going  on  the  boat. 

Think  of  some  noun;  put  two  adjectives  before  it, 
using  the  commas  correctly. 

Write  a  sentence  with  a  word  of  address  at  the  be- 
ginning, at  the  end  and  in  the  middle.  Use  the  commas. 

Write  a  sentence  with  a  quotation.  Where  do  you 
use  a  comma  ? 

How  many  uses  do  you  know  for  the  apostrophe? 
Write  a  sentence  to  show  each  use. 


SENTENCE   STRUCTURE 

Below  are  several  sentences  that  can  be  pictured 
easily  in  diagrams.  Show  the  subject,  verb  and  object 
and  leave  out  the  other  words.  Later  you  will  learn 
what  to  do  with  all  the  words  in  a  sentence. 

The  wind  blew  hard  all  night.  The  hunter  killed  ten 
ducks.  The  house  was  burned  last  week.  The  bravery  of  the 
engineer  saved  the  train.  The  cowardice  of  the  engineer 
caused  the  death  of  many  people. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  179 

In  the  first  sentence,  what  is  acting  or  doing  some- 
thing? The  wind.  Wind  is  the  subject  of  the  sen- 
tence. What  did  the  wind  do4?  It  blew.  Blew  is  the 
verb.  We  write  the  subject  and  verb,  separating  them 
by  a  line  and  a  space : 

wind     I    blew 

Who  is  acting  in  the  second  sentence?  The  hunter. 
What  did  the  hunter  do?  He  killed  something.  Killed 
is  the  verb.  Is  there  an  object  in  this  sentence?  Was 
anything  killed?  Yes  ducks  were  killed.  Arrange  the 
subject,  verb  and  object  as  follows: 

hunter    1     killed     I     ducks 

In  the  fourth  and  fifth  sentences  be  sure  to  get  the 
right  subjects.  Was  it  the  engineer  who  saved  the  train, 
or  was  it  his  bravery?  Was  it  the  engineer  or  the 
cowardice  that  caused  the  death  of  many  people? 

cowardice   I   caused   I   death 

COMPOSITION 

What  do  you  think  of  when  you  read,  "Out  in  the 
muddy  street"  ?  Write  your  thoughts. 

Tell  about  some  bird's  nest  that  you  know. 

Tell  about  some  old  person  you  have  seen  lately. 

On  the  next  page  is  the  picture  of  a  wounded 
hound.  The  poor  dog  has  hurt  his  leg.  How  may  it 
have  happened?  Do  you  think  he  is  suffering?  What 
kind  of  a  look  is  on  his  face?  Do  you  think  he  trusts 
the  old  man,  or  do  you  think  he  is  -afraid?  Do  you 
think  this  hound  is  a  valuable  dog?  What  is  the  old 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  181 

man  doing?  Why?  See  how  the  other  dogs  watch  the 
hound.  Do  they  appear  afraid  of  him?  Write  a  story 
about  this  patient,  suffering  hound;  do  not  be  satisfied 
with  merely  answering  these  questions  about  him. 

There  follows  a  well  written  short  paper  by  a 
fourth-grade  boy,  giving  some  thoughts  about  a  storm: 

A    STORM 

There  was  a  thunder  storm  a  few  days  ago  and  the  wind 
blew  down  some  trees.  Thunder  was  roaring  and  the  light- 
ning was  flashing  all  over,  it  kept  it  up  all  day  and  I  could  not 
go  outside  of  the  door. 

About  six  o'clock  it  stopped  and  I  went  out  with  a  basket 
to  gather  some  of  the  flowers  that  were  left.  I  got  a  basket 
of  flowers  and  I  went  into  the  house. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  flood  and  I  made  a  spear  and 
got  all  of  the  wood  out  of  the  cellar.  The  flood  lasted  for 
many  days  after. 

When  it  was  the  day  to  go  to  school  I  had  to  stay  home 
for  three  days  and  a  half  because  of  the  flood. 

The  paragraphs  are  well  formed.  What  is  the 
thought  in  each? 

Can  you  make  better  divisions  of  the  sentences  in 
the  first  paragraph?  In  the  third?  The  writer  did  not 
stop  at  the  end  of  his  sentences;  he  put  two  into  one. 
Find  the  end  of  every  sentence  and  put  a  period  there. 
You  may  have  to  use  a  few  more  words  than  the  writer 
used,  but  you  can  make  better  sentences. 


EIGHTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Completion  of  summary  of  verbs  of  the  year 

PRONOUNS 

Subject,  possessive,  object 

QUOTATIONS 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

Last  month  you  had  a  list  of  half  of  the  verbs  that 
you  have  studied  during  the  year.  Here  are  the  rest  of 
them: 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

caught 

taught 

brought 

bought 

fought 

thought 

found 

wound 

bound 

blown 

thrown 

known 

grown 

drawn 

flown 

stolen 

broken 

spoken 

got 

forgotten 

written 
shaken 
taken 

Pick  out  the  forms  in  which  you  make  mistakes.  Be 
careful  to  find  them  all ;  because,  when  you  can  see  your 
own  mistakes,  you  are  a  long  way  on  the  road  to  getting 
rid  of  them.  Are  you  sure  you  say,  my  letter  is  written; 
the  tree  was  well  shaken;  John  has  taken  James'  hat;  I 
have  forgotten? 


PRESENT 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

catch 

caught 

catching 

teach 

taught 

teaching 

bring 

brought 

bringing 

buy 

bought 

buying 

fight 

fought 

fighting 

think 

thought 

thinking 

find 

found 

finding 

wind 

wound 

winding 

bind 

bound 

binding 

blow 

blew 

blowing 

throw 

threw 

throwing 

know 

knew 

knowing 

grow 

grew 

growing 

draw 

drew 

drawing 

fly 

flew 

flying 

steal 

stole 

stealing 

break 

broke 

breaking 

speak 

spoke 

speaking 

get 

got 

getting 

forget 

forgot 

forgetting 

write 

wrote 

writing 

shake 

shook 

shaking 

take 

took 

taking 

184  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Do  you  ever  say,  "He  ketched  the  ball,"  for  he 
caught  the  ball?  Or,  "The  wind  blowed,"  for  the  wind 
blew?  If  you  do,  try  hard  to  overcome  soon  these  and 
similar  errors. 

Use  may  in  five  sentences.    Use  can  in  five. 

PRONOUNS 

Make  out  again  a  list  of  the  subject,  possessive  and 
object  pronouns. 

Write  five  sentences  in  which  you  use  the  subject 
forms  of  pronouns.  Have  a  name  and  a  pronoun  in  two 
sentences.  Have  two  pronouns  in  another  sentence. 

Write  five  sentences  with  object  pronouns,  using 
some  of  them  after  the  prepositions,  to,  for  or  with.  Use 
two  pronouns  at  a  time  in  a  sentence  as  objects  of  one 
preposition.  Use  in  a  sentence  a  name  and  a  pronoun 
as  objects  of  one  preposition. 

QUOTATIONS 

Write  five  short  statements  you  have  heard. 

Write  five  questions  you  have  heard. 

Punctuate  the  ten  sentences  you  have  written,  not 
forgetting  the  quotation  marks.  Put  in  the  name  of  the 
person  who  was  speaking.  Put  it  once  at  the  beginning, 
once  at  the  end  and  once  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence. 

SENTENCE   STRUCTURE 

In  each  of  the  following  sentences  find  the  subject, 
verb  and  object: 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  185: 

The  fox  said,  "Good!"  The  man  and  the  sly  fox  threw 
the  stone  down  again.  A  king  had  a  beautiful  daughter.  A 
poor  man  lived  near  the  palace. 

Write  the  subject,  verb  and  object  as  you  did  last 
month,  separating  them  by  a  short  line  and  leaving  out 
all  other  words. 


COMPOSITION 

Tell  the  story  of  one  of  the  lessons. 

Write  a  letter  to  one  of  your  playmates,  telling  about 
a  game  you  have  learned  to  play. 

Write  a  letter  to  an  aunt  or  an  uncle,  telling  some- 
thing you  want  them  to  know.  Be  sure  that  all  the  punc- 
tuation marks  are  in  the  heading,  as: 

Los  Angeles,  California, 

November  25,  1907. 
My  dear  Aunt: 

Bring  an  envelope  to  school  or  make  one.  Address 
it.  Draw  one  on  paper,  and  write  the  address  in  the 
proper  place. 


Mrs.  Charles  L.  Fenton 

1319  Wenn  Street 
Detroit 

Michigan 


186  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Tell  of  a  dream  you  have  had,  and  make  it  complete. 
Dreams  are  usually  so  unfinished  that  you  may  have  to 
imagine  a  great  deal  in  order  to  make  a  complete  story 
of  what  you  dreamed. 

Tell  of  a  romp  or  a  visit  in  some  barn,  yard  or 
wood-lot. 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  the  following  words: 
fairy  princess,  forest,  dancing,  midnight. 

The  picture,  "Lesson  in  Boat-building,"  on  the  op- 
posite page,  is  full  of  suggestions  for  stories.  The  old 
man  is  probably  a  fisherman.  Perhaps  he  is  too  old  to 
go  out  on  the  ocean,  and  he  is  passing  away  some  of  his 
time  in  teaching  the  boy  to  make  toy  boats.  Do  you  see 
in  what  a  strange  house  he  lives'?  It  is  an  old  worn-out 
boat,  with  a  thatched  roof.  Behind  the  two  odd  houses 
is  the  ocean,  on  which  the  old  fisherman  has  spent  many 
fair  and  many  stormy  days.  Write  a  story  suggested  by 
this  picture. 

No  matter  what  you  are  writing  about,  put  in  what 
you  have  enjoyed.  Do  not  write  merely  to  fill  up  paper. 
It  is  better  to  have  a  short  paper  with  one  interesting 
thought,  than  a  long  paper  full  of  things  that  no  one 
cares  to  read.  Write  what  has  interested  you. 


LESSON    IN    BOAT   BUILDING 


REMAINING  WEEKS  OF  THE  YEAR 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 
VERBS 

ABBREVIATIONS 

ADJECTIVES 

ADVERBS 

PRONOUNS 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLES 

PUNCTUATION 

COMMON  ERRORS 

SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  189 


VERBS21 

BE 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

be  was  being  been 

There  are  many  things  to  learn  about  this  verb,  be- 
cause it  is  one  of  the  most  irregular  in  our  language.  You 
have  corrected  some  of  your  mistakes  in  its  use,  and  you 
are  now  old  enough  to  understand  much  more  about  all 
its  forms.  Let  us  have  as  much  of  its  conjugation  as 
you  have  studied,  for  a  conjugation  always  helps  you 
learn  the  correct  uses  of  a  verb. 

PRESENT  TENSE  PRESENT  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  am      we  are       I  have  been      we  have  been 
you  are    you  are      you  have  been    3*ou  have  been 
he  is      they  are      he  has  been      they  have  been 

PAST  TENSE  PAST  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  was  we  were  I  had  been  we  had  been 

you  were       you  were  you  had  been          you  had  been 

he  was  they  were          he  had  been  they  had  been 

FUTURE  TENSE 

I  shall  be  we  shall  be 

you  will  be         you  will  be 
he  will  be  they  will  be 

What  are  the  common  mistakes  in  using  this  verb? 
Are  they  not,  "you  was,"  "they  was"?  You  know  that 
you  should  always  say  you  were,  they  were,  but  do  you 
remember  to  do  so  when  you  are  speaking?  Many  mis- 
takes are  made  when  there  is  used,  as :  "There's  the  boys," 
in  place  of,  there  are  the  boys.  "There  was  ten  dollars 


igo  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

in  my  purse,"  in  place  of,  there  were  ten  dollars  in  my 
purse. 

Give  ten  sentences  every  day  for  a  week  with  you 
w.ere. 

Give  ten  sentences  with  they  were. 

Give  ten  sentences  with  there  are. 

Give  ten  sentences  with  there  were. 

Another  mistake  made  with  this  verb  is  using  "ain't" 
or  "hain't"  for  the  contractions  of  the  present  tense.  We 
hear  constantly,  I  airit,  you  ain't,  and  so  on  through  all 
the  forms.  Let  us  form  the  right  contractions. 

PRESENT  TENSE 

we're 
you're 
they're 
we're  not 
you're  not 
they're  not 

In  the  past  tense  we  hear :  "I  wa'n't  there."  "You 
wa'n't  there."  In  all  six  places  of  the  past  tense  "wa'n't" 
is  heard.  This  is  not  wrong,  but  it  is  not  good  English. 
Let  us  find  out  what  are  the  correct  contractions : 

I  was  not  there  I  wasn't  there 

you  were  not  there  you  weren't  there 

he  was  not  there  he  wasn't  there 

we  were  not  there  we  weren't  there 

you  were  not  there  you  weren't  there 

they  were  not  there  they  weren't  there 

In  the  present  perfect  tense  we  hear:  I  ain't  or 
hain't  been  there.  You  ain't  been  there.  These  forms 
should  be : 

I  haven't  been  there  we  haven't  been  there 

you  haven't  been  there  you  haven't  been  there 

he  hasn't  been  there  they  haven't  been  there 


I  am 
you  are 
he  is 

I'm 
you're 
he's 

we  are 
you  are 
they  are 

I  am  not 

I'm  not 

we  are  not 

you  are  not 
he  is  not 

you're  not 
he's  not 

you  are  not 
they  are  not 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  191 

In  the  future  tense  the  mistakes  are  in  using  .will 
with  /  and  we  when  we  mean  shall.  I  shall  means  that 
I  am  going  to  do  something;  I  will  means  that  I  am  deter- 
mined to  do  something.  We  often  hear,  "I  will  not  come 
if  it  rains."  This  shows  more  determination  than  is 
necessary.  In  such  a  sentence,  one  usually  means  to  say 
what  is  going  to  happen;  that  is,  I  shall  not  come  if  it 
rains. 

Give  five  sentences  with  I  shall  or  we  shall. 

CONTRACTIONS    IN    DO 

Many  persons  make  a  mistake  in  the  contraction 
used  for  the  third  person  of  do  with  not.  You  will  easily 
see  it  in  the  following  conjugation: 

I  do  not  I  don't  we  do  not  we  don't 

you  do  not  you  don't  you  do  not          you  don't 

he  does  not  he  doesn't  they  do  not        they  don't 

The  contraction  for  do  not  is  don't.  Do  not  is 
found  in  all  but  one  of  the  six  places  of  the  present  tense, 
so  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  mistake  is  made  in  the  one 
place  where  does  not  is  found.  He  does  not  contracts 
into  he  doesn't,  but  many  persons  always  say  "he  don't," 
"my  father  don't,"  "she  don't."  These  should  be  he 
doesn't,  my  father  doesn't,  she  doesn't. 

Give  one  sentence  a  day  for  a  week,  using  doesn't. 

Write  out  all  the  other  contractions  that  you  can 
think  of.  Some  of  these  are:  can't,  wouldn't,  shouldn't, 
haven't. 


192  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


ABBREVIATIONS 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  abbreviations  that 
should  be  known  by  the  pupils  of  this  grade: 

Days  of  the  week 

Months 

All  states  well  known  to  the  pupils 

A.  answer 

A.  D.  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  (Anno  Domini) 
Ave.  Avenue 

B.  C.  before  Christ 
Capt.  Captain 

Co.  company,  county 

ct.,  cts.  cent,  cents 

doz.  dozen 

Dr.  Doctor 

E.  east 

Ex.  example 

ft.  foot,  feet 

in.  inch,  inches 

lb.,  Ibs.  pound,  pounds 

Mr.  Mister 

Mrs.  Mistress 

N.  north 

P.  O.  post  office 

Prof.  Professor 

Q.  question 

S.  south 

St.  Street 

Supt.  Superintendent 

U.  S.  United  States 

W.  west 

The  work  in  arithmetic,  geography  or  general  read- 
ing may  call  for  still  other  abbreviations.  If  so,  they 
should  be  given  as  required. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  193 


ADJECTIVES22 

Look  at  an  adjective  in  the  list  below  and  think  of 
some  noun  that  it  exactly  describes.  Use  this  adjective 
and  noun  together  in  a  sentence.  You  know  that  there 
are  two  ways  in  which  you  can  use  an  adjective.  One 
is  to  put  it  before  the  noun  it  describes;  as,  the  insecure 
bridge  was  swept  away  by  the  flood.  The  second  is  to 
put  the  adjective  with  some  form  of  the  verb  be;  as, 
this  bridge  is  insecure.  Use  the  adjectives  in  the  list 
below  in  sentences  in  one  or  both  these  ways.  Write 
two  or  three  of  these  sentences  for  one  exercise.  Before 
the  end  of  the  year  you  can  put  all  the  following  adjec- 
tives with  nouns,  using  them  in  sentences: 

comfortable  different  careful 

ragged  wise  good 

important  foolish  healthy 

happy  interesting  tender 

wicked  naughty  wealthy 

mischievous  dreadful  awful 

ADVERBS 

Adverbs  are  used  to  describe  actions.  They  belong 
with  verbs.  Find  verbs  that  are  described  by  adverbs 
in  the  list  below.  Put  a  verb  and  an  adverb  that  belong 
together  into  a  sentence. 

Write  three  or  four  such  sentences  for  an  exercise, 
and  finish  the  following  list  before  the  end  of  the  year: 

rapidly  comfortably  tenderly  wisely 

foolishly  happily  carefully  boldly 

certainly  loudly  dreadfully  distinctly 

gently  firmly  differently  calmly 

fast  curiously  suddenly 


1Q4  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

All  but  one  of  the  adverbs  on  page  193  ends  with  ly. 
If  ly  were  left  off  would  the  words  still  be  adverbs'? 
What  would  they  be4?  How  should  they  then  be  used? 

PRONOUNS 

Give  again  some  very  simple  sentences  using  the  sub- 
ject and  object  pronouns  correctly.  By  such  exercises  you 
can  train  yourself  to  an  easy  and  natural  use  of  correct 
forms.  Some  illustrative  sentences  follow,  to  give  you 
suggestions  about  making  yours: 

John  went  to  school.  I  went  to  school.  John  and  I  went 
to  school.  (Never  "J°nn  anc[  me  went  to  school"  nor  "Me  and 
John  went  to  school.") 

John  went  to  the  city.  He  went  to  the  city.  He  and 
John  went  to  the  city.  (Never,  him  and  John  went  to  the  city.) 

John  was  late.  She  was  late.  She  and  John  were  late, 
(Never,  her  and  John  was  late.) 

John  heard  the  thunder.  They  heard  the  thunder.  They 
and  John  heard  the  thunder.  (Never,  them  and  John  heard 
the  thunder.) 

If  a  pronoun  only  is  used  as  subject — 7,  he,  she  or 
they — it  is  very  easy  to  know  the  correct  form.  You 
would  never  say,  me  went  to  school,  him  went  to  the  city, 
her  was  late,  them  heard  the  thunder.  But  when  a  noun 
and  a  pronoun  are  used  together  as  the  subject,  mistakes 
are  frequent.  If  you  are  ever  troubled  to  know  if  you 
are  using  the  pronouns  correctly  in  such  a  place,  leave 
out  the  noun  and  use  the  pronoun  alone.  You  may  start 
to  say,  "John  and  me  went  to  school,"  and  stop,  wonder- 
ing if  you  should  say  me.  Leave  out  John;  you  say 
naturally,  I  went  to  school.  You  know  immediately  that 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


this  is  right,  and  you  correct  the  whole  sentence  with 
perfect  ease:  John  and  /  went  to  school.  This  plan  will 
always  help  you. 

You  know  an  object  finishes  or  completes  the 
thought  of  a  verb.  A  few  sentences  are  given  below  to 
recall  the  use  of  the  object  pronoun: 

The  man  saw  the  boy.  The  man  saw  me.  The  man 
saw  the  boy  and  me. 

The  man  saw  him.          The  man  saw  him  and  the  boy. 
The  man  saw  her.  The  man  saw  her  and  the  boy. 

The  man  saw  them.        The  man  saw  them  and  the  boy. 

Some  persons  do  not  use  the  object  pronoun  cor- 
rectly after  a  preposition.  We  hear,  "James  gave  the 
candy  to  you  and  I."  This  is  wrong.  Make  two  sen- 
tences in  this  way: 

James  gave  the  candy  to  you.  James  gave  the  candy  to 
me.  James  gave  the  candy  to  you  and  me. 

The  man  came  with  you.  The  man  came  with  him.  The 
man  came  with  you  and  him. 

Here  are  several  prepositions,  by,  for,  behind,  with, 
to,  against.  Use  them  in  sentences  with  two  pronouns 
for  objects.  In  order  to  fix  in  your  mind  the  sound  of 
these  phrases,  say  them  over  three  or  four  times,  as: 
by  him  and  me;  with  you  and  her;  against  her  and  me; 
behind  him  and  her;  for  you  and  them. 

Do  not  make  the  mistake  of  saying,  "Mary,  she 
went,"  for  Mary  went  or  she  went.  Think  of  five  other 
sentences  where  you  make  or  hear  this  mistake  and  write 
them  correctly. 


196  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


REVIEW    LESSONS23 

The  third  form  of  the  verb  always  ends  in  ing.  It  is 
called  the  present  participle.  This  is  a  pleasant  part  of 
the  verb  to  use,  as  you  already  know.  Look  at  your 
lists  of  verbs,  and  write  five  present  participles;  as, 
singing,  growing. 

Use  singing  in  at  least  three  sentences,  trying  to  use 
it  in  three  different  wrays,  as:  Singing  is  one  of  our  pleas- 
ant lessons.  Our  apple  tree  is  full  of  singing  birds.  You 
were  singing  when  I  passed  your  house. 

Write  three  sentences  using  growing.  Then  use  in 
sentences  the  five  participles  that  you  selected. 


Write  five  questions  about  your  hat. 

Make  five  statements  about  the  school  yard. 

What  mark  do  you  put  at  the  end  of  a  question? 
What  one  at  the  end  of  a  statement? 

Write  the  heading  of  a  letter  to  an  aunt  or  an 
uncle.  Be  careful  about  the  punctuation. 

Write  the  initials  of  your  name.  What  mark  do 
you  put  after  the  letters?  Why? 

Write  a  sentence  telling  what  was  done  by  three 
of  the  boys  or  girls  at  recess.  Mention  every  pupil  by 
name.  How  do  you  separate  the  names?  Give  the 
reason. 

Write  a  sentence  telling  one  of  your  friends  to  do 
something.  How  do  you  separate  the  name  from  the 
rest  of  the  sentence?  Give  the  reason. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  197 

Write  an  answer  to  a  question,  using  yes  or  no. 
How  do  you  separate  yes  or  no  from  the  rest  of  the  sen- 
tence? Why? 

Use  Oh  in  a  sentence.  What  mark  do  you  put  after 
Oh?  May  this  mark  be  placed  anywhere  else  in  the 
sentence?  Write  an  exclamation  showing  this  last  use. 

Divide  these  words  into  their  syllables  by  spacing 
them,  as,  pro  nun  d  a  tion:  comma,  address,  interroga- 
tion, question,  series,  statement,  period.  If  such  a  divi- 
sion comes  at  the  end  of  a  line,  how  will  you  show  that 
part  of  the  word  is  on  one  line  and  part  on  another? 


Use  the  following  in  sentences: 

those  books  those  boys  those  men 

those  hats  those  marbles  those  Christmas  trees 

those  kittens  those  birds  those  horses 

Do  you  ever  make  the  mistake  now  of  using  them 
in  place  of  those?  Do  you  remember  to  say,  I  haven't  a 
pencil?  Or  do  you  still  say  sometimes,  "I  ain't  got  no 
pencil"  ?  Give  five  sentences  in  which  you  use  the  cor- 
rect expression. 

Think  a  moment  or  two  of  the  way  in  which  the 
morning  newspaper  is  delivered.  Write  six  or  eight 
sentences  about  it.  See  that  every  sentence  has  one 
complete  thought,  but  no  more. 

If  possible,  put  two  of  these  thoughts  that  you  have 
written  into  one  sentence  by  using  who,  which,  that;  or 
while,  because,  for,  or  some  similar  word.  Have  you 
connected  two  thoughts  so  that  they  have  become  one? 


MEYER   VON  BREMEN,   1813-1886 

THE    WOUNDED    LAMB 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  199 

Take  the  simple  sentences  that  you  wrote  first  about 
the  newspaper.  See  if  you  can  add  thoughts  to  any  of 
the  nouns  by  using  these  prepositions  with  an  object:  by, 
with,  for,  of,  behind,  before,  between,  after. 


COMPOSITION 
REPRODUCTION 

Tell  in  writing  the  story  of  some  poem  that  you 
have  read  and  liked. 

Write  some  story  that  you  have  read  or  heard  told. 
If  it  is  long,  divide  it  into  two  or  more  short  parts,  making 
each  part  a  little  story  by  itself. 

ORIGINAL  WRITING 

Look  at  the  things  shown  in  some  store  window,  and 
write  what  you  would  like  to  do  with  some  of  them. 

Think  of  stories  suggested  by  these  groups  of  words : 
a  box,  a  boy  and  a  knife;  a  delivery  wagon  and  a  fright- 
ened horse;  a  lead  pencil  and  a  thoughtless  boy. 

Watch  some  men  putting  down  a  water-main  or 
working  on  the  street.  Tell  about  them  and  their  work. 

Where  does  the  water  come  from  that  you  use  at 
home?  How  does  it  get  there*? 

In  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page,  "The  Wounded 
Lamb,"  what  are  the  children  doing?  What  has  the 
tallest  girl  in  her  arms?  What  do  you  think  may  have 
happened?  Do  the  children  seem  sorry  for  the  lamb? 
What  was  the  little  girl  doing  when  the  older  one  brought 
home  the  lamb?  Tell  the  story  that  you  see  in  this 
picture. 


2oo  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

The  story  of  the  rivalry  between  the  sun  and  the 
wind  in  the  attempt  to  make  the  man  take  off  his  coat 
had  been  read  to  a  fourth-grade  class.  In  the  science 
talks  some  one  said  that  the  buds  in  the  spring  were  like 
the  man;  they  buttoned  themselves  up  tight  in  their 
coats.  This  led  to  writing  the  story  of  the  buds. 

THE   WIND  AND  THE  ROSEBUD 

All  the  rosebuds  and  lilies  were  trying  to  show  their 
beautiful  colors. 

The  rosebud  was  trying  to  open  its  little  brown  coat 
when  all  at  once  there  came  a  whistle  of  the  wind.  The  wind 
said,  "I  know  you  have  been  wanting  me.  I  will  open  your 
coat  for  you.  Wait  for  me." 

So  it  blew  and  blew  until  it  blew  the  rose's  coat  off. 

THE  WIND  AND  THE  TREE  AND  THE  SUN 

All  the  little  buds  on  the  peach  tree  had  on  their  warm 
brown  cloaks.  The  rough  wind  said,  "I  will  make  the  buds 
take  off  those  warm  cloaks  so  every  one  can  see  how  pretty 
they  are." 

Then  he  blew  and  blew  upon  them  all  winter  long,  but 
they  were  like  the  man.  They  held  their  cloaks  very  closely 
together.  They  would  not  take  them  off  for  the  cold  wind. 
In  the  spring  time  the  wind  stopped  blowing.  The  sun  said, 
"Now  I  will  make  the  buds  throw  off  their  cloaks."  So  he 
began  to  shine  brightly  upon  the  tree.  The  little  buds  began 
to  lift  their  heads.  Soon  they  were  glad  to  take  off  their  close, 
brown  cloaks,  and  come  out  in  their  soft  pink  dresses.  By  and 
by  their  sister  leaves  peeped  out  in  their  bright  green  dresses. 
The  warm,  pleasant  sun  did  more  than  the  cold  wind. 


FIFTH-YEAR  GRADE 


TO  THE  TEACHER 

The  author  of  this  book  has  had  much  experience  in 
teaching  language,  and  in  supervising  the  teaching  of 
language,  in  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  Most  of 
her  work  as  a  supervisor  of  the  subject  has  been  in  primary 
and  grammar  grades,  and  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  needs  and  limitations  of  teachers  and  pupils  has  given 
her  a  somewhat  detailed  knowledge  of  their  difficulties 
and  discouragements.  Her  chief  aim  has  been  to  help 
teachers  in  their  efforts  to  develop  in  the  pupil  the  power 
to  think  systematically  and  to  express  his  thoughts  in  good 
English.  This  she  has  endeavored  to  do  by  sympathetic 
advice  and  by  the  introduction  of  simple,  constructive 
methods. 

It  is  her  desire  to  give  to  the  teachers  who  may  use 
this  book  some  of  the  beneficial  results  of  the  experience 
of  the  teacher  and  the  supervisor.  This  has  been  done  by 
placing  in  the  appendix  suggestions  and  advice  on  almost 
every  point  that  has  given  her  teachers  serious  trouble. 
The  author  requests  and  urges  that  these  suggestions  be 
studied  carefully  by  the  teacher,  for  she  considers  them 
one  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  book.  Specific 
reference  is  made  to  each  suggestion  by  the  use  of  Arabic 
figures  in  the  body  of  the  text. 


FIRST   MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Use  in  sentences 
Conjugation  of  begin 

NOUNS 

Common  and  Proper 

Plural 

Possessive  case 

SYNONYMS 

COMMON  ERRORS 

QUOTATIONS 

ADJECTIVES 

PUNCTUATION 

PRONUNCIATION 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


204  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

You  learned  many  things  about  verbs  in  the  third 
and  fourth  grades,  and  by  much  practice  you  were  able 
to  use  these  words  very  well  in  your  conversation  and 
in  your  composition  work.  During  this  year  you  will 
learn  many  more  things  about  verbs,  and  you  can  then 
make  them  help  you  still  more  in  your  writing  and  speak- 
ing. If  you  have  not  studied  this  book  before,  you  may 
find  it  helpful  to  spend  a  little  time  in  reviewing  what 
is  said  about  verbs  in  the  third  and  fourth  grades.  You 
may  also  find  it  helpful  to  review  in  this  way  some  of  the 
other  language  topics  that  you  will  study  this  year. 
Your  teacher  will  tell  you  what  parts  of  the  third  and 
fourth  grades  to  review. 

Mistakes  are  often  made  in  the  past  tense  and  past 
participle  of  the  verbs  in  the  list  below.  These  verbs, 
however,  are  not  very  difficult.  To  use  them  correctly  is 
only  a  matter  of  practice  and  memory. 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

rung 

sung 

sunk 

sprung 

drunk 

shrunk 

swum 

begun 

Write  ten  sentences  using  the  past  tense  of  each  of 
the  verbs  given  above,  as :  The  whole  school  sang  at  the 
picnic  last  week.  The  bell  rang  at  nine  o'clock. 


PRESENT 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

ring 

rang 

ringing 

sing 

sang 

singing 

sink 

sank 

sinking 

spring 

sprang 

springing 

drink 

drank 

drinking 

shrink 

shrank 

shrinking 

swim 

swam 

swimming 

begin 

began 

beginning 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Write  a  sentence  for  each  of  these  verbs,  using  the 
present  perfect  tense  (have  or  has  with  the  past  parti- 
ciple), as:  The  ship  has  sunk  in  deep  water.  Have  you 
begun  to  study  geography"? 


NOUNS 
COMMON  AND  PROPER 

Man,  boy,  girl  and  woman  are  all  names;  they  are 
therefore  nouns.  Horse,  dog  and  cat  are  nouns.  Rain, 
snow  and  hail  are  nouns.  The  name  of  anything  is  a 
noun.  Write  a  list  of  ten  things  that  you  can  see.  Write 
a  list  of  five  things  that  you  can  hear;  of  five  that  you 
can  feel;  of  five  that  you  can  smell.  All  the  names  you 
have  written  are  nouns. 

If  we  say  "cat,"  the  word  may  apply  to  any  cat, 
yours  or  mine  or  the  neighbor's;  but  when  I  say  "Bobo," 
I  mean  my  cat,  and  he  knows  it  as  well  as  I,  for  I  have 
spoken  his  name.  You  say  "dog,"  but  no  dog  will  come 
at  the  word,  for  it  belongs  to  any  and  all  dogs;  but  if 
your  dog's  name  is  Rover  and  you  call  "Rover!  Rover!" 
he  comes  to  you  quickly.  If  the  teacher  says  "boy"  or 
"girl"  it  means  little  to  you;  but  if  she  speaks  your  name, 
you  look  up  instantly. 

So  we  see  that  we  have  two  kinds  of  nouns.  One 
is  common  to  all  things  of  that  class;  as  dog,  which  is 
common  to  all  dogs.  The  other  is  the  name  of  one 
individual;  as  Rover,  which  means  a  certain  dog.  The 
names  of  individuals  are  called  proper  nouns.  Those 
that  can  be  used  for  any  one  of  a  class  are  called  common 
nouns. 


206  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Here  are  some  common  nouns  in  one  column  with  a 
proper  noun  in  the  opposite  column : 

COMMON  PROPER  COMMON  PROPER 

man  Mr.  Johnson  boy  John 

horse  Dick  dog  Rover 

mountain  Mt.  Shasta  city  New  York 

day  Wednesday  month  January 

steamship  Captain  Weber          lake  Lake  Tahoe 

Notice  that  all  the  proper  nouns  begin  with  capital 
letters. 

Write  twenty  nouns,  any  that  occur  to  you.  Put 
the  common  nouns  into  one  list;  the  proper  nouns  into 
another. 

What  is  a  noun?  What  is  a  common  noun"? 
What  rule  have  you  learned  for  writing  all  proper  nouns? 
Word  it  yourself,  and  you  will  remember  it  more  easily. 

PLURAL  OF  NOUNS 

Most  nouns  and  pronouns  have  two  forms,  as: 
duck,  ducks;  man,  men;  he,  they.  The  first  form  is  called 
the  singular;  it  is  used  when  only  one  person  or  thing  is 
meant.  The  second  form  is  called  the  plural;  it  is  used 
when  more  than  one  is  meant.  You  have  found  plurals 
of  nouns  all  through  the  primary  grades,  and  it  should 
be  very  easy  for  you  to  put  together  what  you  have 
learned.  Write  the  plural  forms  for  the  nouns  given 
below  in  the  singular.  Then  tell  how  the  plurals  have 
been  made. 

card  dog  letter 

book  rat  ball 

map  PaPer  inkwell 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  207 

The  plurals  of  the  nouns  given  on  the  preceding 
page  are  formed  by  adding  s  to  the  singular  forms. 

box  brush  bush 

ditch  glass  fox 

ax  gas  loss 

All  the  nouns  in  the  above  list  take  es  in  the  plural, 
because  s  alone  can  not  unite  in  sound  with  their  final 
letters.  You  can  not  say  easily  boxs,  or  ditchs,  or  glasss. 
The  following  common-sense  rule  is  made  because  of  this 
condition : 

If  the  singular  of  a  noun  ends  with  a  sound  that  can 
not  unite  easily  with  s,  the  plural  is  formed  by  adding  es. 

A  number  of  nouns  ending  in  o  take  es  in  the  plural. 
Write  the  plural  of  the  following: 

potato  tomato  negro 

echo  volcano  motto 

mosquito  hero  cargo 

As  you  see,  this  is  not  a  new  way  of  forming  the 
plural.  It  is  the  same  as  in  box  and  brush,  except  that 
box  becomes  box  es,  with  an  extra  syllable;  while  potato 
becomes  po  ta  toes,  without  the  addition  of  another 
syllable. 

Some  nouns  take  en  in  their  plural.  This  is  an  old, 
old  form.  Centuries  ago,  there  went  to  England  from 
the  continent  of  Europe  some  Germanic  tribes.  They 
conquered  the  island,  and  their  language  was  spoken 
from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  newly  won  land.  Many 
of  their  words,  like  German  words  of  today,  formed  their 
plural  in  n  or  en.  Knabe  is  the  German  word  today  for 
boy;  its  plural  is  K  nab  en.  Ochs  (ox)  becomes  Ochsen 
(oxen)  in  the  plural.  As  the  English  language  was 


208  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

slowly  formed  through  the  centuries,  some  of  these  words 
were  kept,  others  were  lost;  some  of  the  plurals  were 
kept,  others  were  lost.  Ochs  became  ox,  and  it  kept  its 
plural  en,  making  oxen.  Knabe  disappeared,  and  boy 
took  its  place  with  its  plural  s;  but  knave  stays  in  the 
English  language,  and  it  is  all  that  remains  in  form  or 
meaning  of  German  Knabe.  Whenever  you  find  a  word 
taking  a  plural  in  en  you  may  know  that  it  is  a  very  old 
word  and  that  it  has  traveled  far.  A  language  grows 
and  changes  very  much  as  a  person  does;  but  a  person's 
life,  growth  and  death  are  measured  by  years,  while  those 
of  a  language  are  measured  by  centuries. 

There  are  two  more  ways  of  forming  plurals.  One 
is  where  the  word  itself  changes — mouse,  mice;  the  other 
is  where  there  is  no  change  at  all — deer,  deer. 

Take  some  paper  and  rule  off  five  columns.  Head 
them  like  those  given  below.  From  day  to  day,  and  from 
week  to  week,  put  into  these  columns  some  of  the  nouns 
that  you  find  in  reading  or  that  you  hear  in  conversation, 
and  write  the  plurals.  So  many  take  a  plural  in  s  or  es 
that  there  is  no  need  of  writing  many  of  them,  but  be 
sure  to  know  the  plural  form. 

S  Es  EN 

boy       boys  box         boxes  child     children 

hat       hats  tomato    tomatoes  ox         oxen 

wife      wives  brush      brushes 

knife     knives  hero        heroes 

leaf         leaves 

NEW  WORD  UNCHANGED 

mouse  mice  deer  deer 

sheep  sheep 

There  is  little  difficulty  in  forming  plurals  except 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  209 

in  spelling  words  that  end  with  /,  fe  or  o.  Notice  such 
words  carefully;  notice  also  the  nouns  that  do  not  change 
in  the  plural.  Some  persons  put  an  s  on  deer,  saying 
"deers";  but  a  little  observation  prevents  such  mistakes. 

POSSESSIVE  CASE 

Study  the  following  lists  to  see  how  the  possessive 
case  is  formed: 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

man  man's  men  men's 

duck  duck's  ducks  ducks' 

John  John's  mothers          mothers' 

Charles  Charles'  children          children's 

James  James' 

princess  princess' 

How  is  the  singular  possessive  usually  formed*?  Is 
the  plural  possessive  ever  formed  in  this  way*? 
When  does  it  not  take  's?  What  is  added  then?  Make 
your  own  rules  for  forming  the  singular  possessive,  the 
plural  possessive  and  the  possessive  of  a  noun  that  ends 
in  s. 

Write  the  possessive  form,  in  both  the  singular  and 
plural,  of  the  nouns  that  you  listed  when  studying 
plurals. 

REVIEWS 

If  you  do  not  know  what  synonyms  are,  read  what 
is  said  about  them  in  the  third  and  fourth  grades.  Select 
from  your  conversation  ten  words  that  you  use  very  fre- 
quently. See  if  you  can  find  synonyms  for  them.  Use 
these  synonyms  in  sentences  in  order  to  increase  your 
power  over  words. 


2io  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

What    is    the    difference   between    steal   and   rob? 
Bring  and  fetch? 

What  is  a  synonym^ 


Notice  the  following  correct  forms: 

I  haven't  a  pencil,  or,  I  have  no  pencil.  I'm  not  going. 
He  didn't  do  anything  to  you,  or,  he  did  nothing  to  you.  She 
didn't  hit  you.  I  didn't  say  anything,  or  I  said  nothing. 

If  you  use  any  of  the  incorrect  forms  given  below 
instead  of  the  above  correct  forms,  think  out  many  sen- 
tences during  this  month  where  you  will  use  the  correct 
expression.  Work  faithfully  until  you  master  thoroughly 
these  incorrect  expressions: 

I  ain't  got  no  pencil.  I  hain't  a  going.  He  never  done 
nothin'  to  you.  She  never  hit  you.  I  didn't  say  nothin'. 


Think  out  a  conversation  that  you  would  like  to 
have  with  your  father.  Write  it,  and  put  in  the  quota- 
tion marks.  Be  sure  to  have  some  broken  quotations. 


Pronounce  the  st  and  the  sts  in  all  words  where  these 
combinations  occur :  • 

nests  lest  jest  fast 

rests  best  boast  last 

roasts  most  roast  nest 

Many  errors  are  made  in  pronouncing  words  of  this 
kind.     List  them  and  drill  on  them. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  21 1 


ADJECTIVES 

The  man  saved  the  child  from  drowning.  In  this 
sentence  is  stated  a  fact  that,  if  real,  would  quickly 
arouse  our  interest;  but  see  in  the  following  sentences 
how  much  is  added  by  the  use  of  certain  words : 

The  brave  man  saved  the  little  child  from  drowning. 
The  brave  old  man  saved  the  little   blind   child   from 
drowning. 

The  italicized  words  are  adjectives.  They  are 
descriptive  adjectives,  because  they  give  some  fact  that 
describes  the  nouns  with  which  they  are  used.  Adjectives 
add  much  to  our  language,  but  we  must  know  how  to  use 
them.  We  must  select  the  right  words  so  that  they  will 
say  exactly  what  we  want  them  to  say. 

Select  from  your  reader  ten  adjectives  that  you  do 
not  use  very  commonly.  Use  them  in  sentences.  Do  not 
put  them  with  the  nouns  that  they  describe  in  the  reader. 

Use  the  following  present  participles  in  sentences  as 
adjectives: 

running  playing  shouting 

singing  dancing  crying 

laughing  fighting  helping 

After  you  have  used  the  above  words  in  sentences, 
put  two  or  three  of  them  into  one  sentence,  using  commas 
correctly. 

Write  the  rule  for  this  use  of  commas. 

What  is  an  adjective"? 


212  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

COMPARISON   OF  ADJECTIVES 
Use  the  following  adjectives  in  sentences- 

clean        large  sweet          happy         many          heavy 

tall          bad  neat  deep  sad  far 

Compare  the  adjectives  given  above.  If  you  do  not 
know  how  to  do  this,  read  what  is  said  about  the  compari- 
son of  adjectives  in  the  fourth  grade.  Put  in  a  column 
those  that  take  er  and  est;  as, 

clean  cleaner  cleanest 

A,  an,  the,  are  all  adjectives.  They  are  used  con- 
stantly in  talking  and  writing. 

Notice  what  is  peculiar  to  these  adjectives:  bad, 
happy,  many,  heavy,  far.  We  should  not  say  bad, 
badder,  baddest.  We  say :  this  boy  -is  bad,  this  one  is 
worse  and  this  one  is  the  worst.  Happy  and  heavy  take 
er  and  est,  but  the  final  y  changes  to  L  So  the  words 
become  happier,  happiest;  heavier,  heaviest.  Many 
changes  to  a  new  word  when  compared;  as,  this  girl  has 
many  apples,  her  sister  has  more,  but  her  mother  has  the 
most.  We  do  not  say  far-er,  but  put  in  some  letters  to 
soften  the  sound,  making  far,  farther,  farthest.  Note 
the  following  comparison  of  these  irregular  adjectives: 

bad  worse  worst 

happy  happier  happiest 

far  farther  farthest 

many  more  most 

heavy  heavier  heaviest 

Several  adjectives  are  compared  in  an  irregular  way 
like  those  above,  and  they  are  generally  some  of  the  little, 
common,  everyday  words. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  213 

Make  a  list  of  ten  adjectives  from  either  your  con- 
versation or  your  readers,  and  write  the  comparisons. 

PUNCTUATION 

The  big,  black,  ugly  dog  bit  the  child. 
John,  come  here  immediately. 
Yes,  mama,  I  am  coming. 
Father  said,  "You  are  to  stay  at  home  today." 
"Yes,"  said  mother,  "but  he  can  go  tomorrow." 
Dec.  10,  1907. 
Los  Angeles,  California. 
He  signs  his  name  J.  H.  Painter. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Betting  have  gone  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
"Quick !  Quick !  Don't  you  hear  me  calling  you,  Mason  ?" 
cried  John. 

Write  the  reasons  for  all  of  the  punctuation  marks 
used  above. 

Write  sentences  of  your  own,  showing  the  same 
uses. 

Write  the  reasons  for  all  of  the  capital  letters  used 
above. 

Write  sentences  of  your  own,  showing  the  same. uses. 

Can  you  give  any  other  use  of  the  comma;  the 
period;  the  exclamation  point? 

PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

For  a  long  time  you  have  been  trying  to  arrange 
your  papers  in  paragraphs,  and  you  probably  have  con- 
siderable knowledge  about  these  divisions.  Let  us  study 
them  a  little  more  deeply  than  you  could  in  the  fourth 
grade. 


214  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

A  paragraph  is  a  group  of  sentences  all  in  one  line 
of  thought.  From  sentence  to  sentence  the  thought  grows, 
the  story  moves  forward,  the  description  becomes  more 
vivid.  Then  comes  the  real  difficulty;  that  of  knowing 
when  to  change  from  one  paragraph  to  another.  You 
may  not  make  your  divisions  as  an  older  person  would 
make  his;  but  never  mind,  you  are  learning  by  making 
the  paragraphs ;  and  in  time  you  may  know  as  much  about 
paragraphing  as  any  older  writer. 

Remember  that  the  sentences  of  a  paragraph  must 
be  related  to  one  another;  that  is,  they  must  be  about 
the  same  general  idea,  or  thought,  or  subject.  When  this 
close  relation  ends,  it  is  time  to  begin  another  paragraph. 

Let  us  take  a  very  easy  subject,  to  illustrate  what 
has  been  said.  You  may  be  writing  about  your  dog. 
That  is  the  subject  of  your  whole  paper,  but  you  intend 
telling  several  things  about  him.  As  you  think  of  what 
you  are  going  to  write,  you  know  that  you  want  to  tell 
about  his  appearance,  his  usefulness,  his  tricks  and  the 
friendship  between  yourself  and  him.  These  are  your 
four  paragraphs.  Write  such  a  paper,  making  these 
paragraphs. 

COMPOSITION 

Think  about  some  animal,  house,  tree  or  street  that 
you  know  very  well.  Picture  it  to  yourself  until  it  stands 
out  vividly  in  your  mind.  Think  of  its  beauties,  its 
peculiarities  or  its  striking  features.  When  you  can  see 
it  very  clearly,  write  about  it.  Describe  it  so  accurately 
and  so  interestingly  that  others  will  see  it  as  you  do. 

Make  the  first  page  of  your  paper  look  as  well  as  the 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  215 

first  page  of  a  book.  Do  not  begin  high  up  on  the  paper. 
Leave  a  margin  of  about  two  inches  at  the  top.  Leave 
a  margin  of  an  inch  on  the  left  side  of  the  page,  and  one 
of  a  half  inch  on  the  right  side.  Write  the  subject  in 
the  middle  of  the  page,  using  capitals  for  the  nouns, 
verbs  and  adjectives.  The  teacher  probably  has  some 
heading  for  you  to  put  at  the  beginning  of  every  paper. 
If  not,  use  one  like  the  following: 

Elton  School.  Fresno,   California, 

Fifth  Grade.  February  12,  1908. 

Composition,  Daniel  Gray. 

(Subject  of  Paper) 

Number  every  page.  While  writing  try  to  remem- 
ber to  put  capitals  and  punctuation  marks  in  the  proper 
places.  If  you  do  not  know  how  to  spell  a  word,  ask 
the  teacher,  if  that  is  permitted,  or  look  it  up  in  the 
dictionary.  Do  not  guess  at  it,  for  you  may  be  learning 
to  spell  incorrectly  by  so  doing;  and  it  is  harder  to  cor- 
rect mistakes  than  to  learn  correctly  in  the  first  place. 

Read  your  paper  over  after  it  is  finished.  It  is 
better  not  to  do  this  immediately,  but  to  wait  three  or 
four  hours  after  the  writing,  or  until  the  next  day.  While 
deeply  interested  in  what  he  is  writing,  any  one  may  for- 
get many  little  points;  but  by  reading  the  paper  over 
quietly  some  time  later,  many  mistakes  will  be  easily 
discovered  and  corrected.  Real  strength  is  the  ability 
to  find  and  correct  one's  own  mistakes. 

Did  you  see  anything  that  interested  you  this  morn- 
ing as  you  were  coming  to  school  ?  Perhaps  it  was  some- 
thing in  a  store  or  on  the  street.  It  may  have  been  a 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  217 

new  bicycle,  a  fine  horse  or  a  car  off  the  track.  Think 
what  it  was;  then  write  about  it.  Don't  put  in  dull 
little  details,  any  more  than  you  would  tell  them  if 
talking  to  your  chum.  Write  the  interesting  things. 

Bring  to  school  a  picture  that  you  like,  taken  from 
a  book,  paper  or  magazine.  What  is  there  about  it  that 
you  enjoy?  Does  it  tell  you  a  story"?  If  so,  write  it. 
If  you  can  not  bring  the  picture  to  school,  look  at  it  at 
home  and  tell  your  story  about  it  at  school;  or  study 
the  picture  "Day's  Work  Done"  on  the  opposite  page,  and 
write  a  story  suggested  by  it.  Whose  work  is  done  for 
the  day?  What  do  you  think  he  has  been  doing?  What 
is  he  going  to  have  now?  Who  is  taking  care  of  him? 
Is  it  work  to  care  for  him?  Do  you  think  the  children 
like  that  kind  of  work?  What  makes  you  think  so? 
Is  the  dog  interested?  Why?  Do  you  think  that  he 
and  the  donkey  are  friends?  Do  animals  sometimes 
become  friends?  What  makes  you  think  so?  Is  this 
a  picture  of  an  American  scene?  Do  you  see  through 
the  door  of  the  stable  the  thatched  roof  of  a  shed?  Have 
you  ever  read  of  countries  where  such  roofs  are  used? 
Enjoy  the  picture  and  let  it  suggest  to  you  an  interesting 
story.  Write  the  story. 

Have  you  ever  visited  a  livery  stable?  Why  were 
you  interested  in  it?  Were  there  many  horses  there? 
Did  they  know  their  stalls?  Did  every  one  have  his 
own  stall?  Was  there  a  corral  or  feedyard?  How 
were  the  horses  cared  for?  There  are  many  interesting 
things  to  tell  about  horses  and  their  care.  Can  you  tell 
any  of  them? 

Did  any  of  you  girls  ever  dress  up  in  your  mother's 


218  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

clothes?     Was   it   fun?      What   did   you   do?     Write 
about  it. 

Imagine  yourself  a  policeman.  Tell  some  of  the 
things  that  you  have  done,  seen  or  suffered  as  a  police- 
man. 


SECOND    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

NOUNS 

PRONUNCIATION 

ADJECTIVES 

ADVERBS 

REVIEWS 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


220  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 
BEGIN1 

All  the  forms  of  a  verb  can  be  put  together  in  such 
a  way  that  they  can  be  easily  understood  and  remem- 
bered. Such  an  arrangement  is  called  the  conjugation  of 
a  verb. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  fifth-grade  pupils  to  know 
all  of  any  conjugation.  What  they  need  is  to  learn  the 
most  common  forms,  so  that  they  will  be  able  to  use 
correctly  those  parts  of  the  verb  that  are  found  in  their 
everyday  conversation  and  writing.  From  constant  use 
in  the  fourth  grade  you  know  nearly  all  of  the  following 
conjugation,  but  it  is  given  here  as  a  review: 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

PRESENT  TENSE 

I  begin  we  begin 

thou  beginnest  you  begin 

he  begins  they  begin 

PAST  TENSE 

I  began  we  began 

thou  beganst          you  began 
he  began  they  began 

FUTURE  TENSE 

I  shall  begin  we  shall  begin 

thou  wilt  begin  you  will  begin 

he  will  begin  they  will  begin 

PRESENT  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  have  begun          we  have  begun 
thou  hast  begun        you  have  begun 
he  has  begun          they  have  begun 

PAST  PERFECT  TENSE 

I  had  begun  we  had  begun 

thou  hadst  begun       you  had  begun 
he  had  begun         they  had  begun 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  221 

Your  difficulty  with  verbs  is  not  in  learning  their 
forms,  but  in  remembering  to  use  the  correct  forms  when 
speaking  and  writing.  The  verbs  in  the  list  below  were 
all  studied  in  the  fourth  grade,  and  the  principal  parts 
are  given  again  in  the  "Summary"  at  the  end  of  this 
year's  work.  If  you  have  forgotten  the  principal  parts 
of  any  verb,  look  them  up  in  the  "Summary"  before  try- 
ing to  write  sentences  using  them.  All  work  is  made 
easier  if  mistakes  are  avoided. 

Use  the  following  verbs  in  sentences: 

catch  fight          teach        buy  found         bound 

caught         fought      taught      bought      wound       shone 

Write  the  past  tense  of  catch.  Write  five  sentences 
using  catch.  Pronounce  it  every  time  you  write  it,  being 
careful  not  to  say  "ketch." 

Write  five  sentences  using  have  fought  or  has  fought. 

Write  the  past  tense  of  fight.  Did  you  ever  hear 
any  one  say,  "He  fit";  for  he  fought?  Did  you  ever 
say  it?  What  word  do  you  now  know  to  be  the  right 
one  in  the  past  tense?  Remember  to  use  it.  Write  three 
sentences  using  fought. 

Write  the  future  tense  of  buy,  making  complete 
sentences. 

Give  two  verbs  that  show  action;  as,  he  runs  fast. 
Give  two  that  show  some  condition  of  the  mind  or  body ; 
as,  he  suffers  from  rheumatism.  Give  two  that  show 
some  state  or  position  of  the  body;  as,  he  is  lying  down. 

What  do  verbs  show? 

LIKE    AND    LOVE 

There  is  a  difference  between  like  and  love  that  is 


222  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

not  always  seen  by  children.  We  love  persons;  we  like 
things.  How  often  we  hear,  "I  just  love  peppermint 
candy" ;  or,  "I  love  to  go  fishing."  Love  is  too  strong 
a  word  for  these  places.  Love  is  not  aroused  by  candy 
or  going  fishing.  It  is  the  feeling  that  we  have  for  father, 
mother  and  friends.  Like  has  a  different  meaning;  it 
means  to  enjoy  doing  something,  as  to  relish  eating  some 
favorite  food.  It  is  when  a  boy  wishes  to  be  very 
emphatic  that  he  says  he  loves  to  go  fishing,  for  like  does 
not  seem  to  him  a  strong  enough  word.  Instead  of  using 
love  in  such  a  place,  try  to  find  some  other  emphatic 
word.  In  the  following  sentences,  in  place  of  like  use 
one  of  the  words  from  the  list  below,  or  think  of  one 
for  yourself;  but  do  not  use  love: 

I  like  peaches.  I  like  a  rain  storm.  Mother  likes  to  go 
up  into  the  mountains.  John  likes  to  go  fishing.  I  like  to  write 
stones. 

enjoy  be  happy  to 

delight  be  glad  to 

In  the  following  sentences  use  some  expression  in 
place  of  love: 

I  should  just  love  to  go  to  that  picnic.  I  love  to  play  on 
the  piano.  I  love  pumpkin  pie.  John  loves  to  wash  his  dog. 

Watch  your  speech,  and  write  down  a  number  of 
sentences  where  you  have  used  love.  See  if  it  is  used  cor- 
rectly. Write  down  a  number  of  sentences  where  you 
have  used  like  but  wanted  a  stronger  word.  Find  one, 
but  do  not  use  love. 


LIE* 


In  spite  of  the  fact  that  you  have  already  studied 
lie  and  sit,  some  of  you  probably  still  make  mistakes. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  223 

That  is  partly  because  you  were  too  young  to  understand 
and  remember  all  the  differences,  and  partly  because 
there  is  real  difficulty  in  learning  these  two  verbs. 
This  year  ought  to  make  you  their  master.  First,  learn 
the  principal  parts  thoroughly.  Take  one  verb  at  a  time : 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

lie  lay  lying  lain 

Lie  refers  to  some  position  of  the  body  or  of  an 

object. 

Go  and  lie  down.     He  lay  still  for  an  hour.    The  book 

is  lying  on  the  table.    What  are  you  doing  ?    I  have  lain  down 

to  rest. 

Write  five  sentences  using  lie  in  the  present  tense. 
Write  the  conjugation  of  the  past  tense. 
Write  five  sentences  using  the  past  tense. 
Use  lying  in  five  sentences. 
Use  lain  in  five  sentences. 

SIT 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

sit  sat  sitting  sat 

£//,  like  lie,  means  some  position  of  the  body  or  of 
an  object. 

Go  and  sit  down.  He  sat  still  for  an  hour.  The  parrot 
is  sitting  on  his  perch.  What  are  you  doing?  I  have  sat  down 
to  rest. 

Write  five  sentences  using  sit  in  the  present  tense. 

Write  the  conjugation  of  the  past  tense  of  sit. 

Write  five  sentences  using  the  past  tense. 

Use  sitting  in  five  sentences. 

Use  the  past  participle  in  five  sentences. 


224  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


NOUNS 

CASE 

The  boy  has  gone  to  the  river  to  fish.  We  saw  the  boy 
riding  his  wheel.  Where  is  the  boy's  hat. 

In  the  first  sentence  who  is  acting  or  doing  some- 
thing? The  boy.  Consequently,  as  you  have  learned, 
boy  is  the  subject  of  this  sentence.  We  say  that  the 
subject  of  a  sentence  is  in  the  nominative  case. 

In  the  second  sentence  how  is  boy  used?  We  are 
the  ones  who  are  doing  something;  consequently,  we  is 
the  subject  of  this  sentence.  We  saw  some  one;  we  saw 
the  boy.  You  have  already  learned  that  a  word  that 
completes  the  meaning  of  a  verb  is  an  object.  So,  in 
this  second  sentence,  boy  is  the  object  of  the  sentence. 
We  say  that  the  object  of  a  sentence  is  in  the  objective 
case. 

In  the  third  sentence  there  is  still  another  way  of 
using  boy.  "Boy  is  not  the  subject  and  it  is  not  the  object, 
but  it  tells  something  about  hat.  Boy  is  now  in  the  pos- 
sessive case,  for  it  shows  that  the  boy  possesses  the  hat. 

Use  some  nouns  in  these  three  cases.  Write  a  sen- 
tence using  a  noun  as  subject,  or  in  the  nominative  case; 
as  an  object,  or  in  the  objective  case;  as  a  possessive 
modifier,  or  in  the  possessive  case.  If  you  look  at  the 
above  sentences  about  the  boy,  you  will  find  these  sen- 
tences very  easy  to  understand  and  to  write.  Use  the 
nouns  man,  Dick  and  parrot,  remembering  that  there 
must  be  three  sentences  for  each  noun. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  225 

THE  POSSESSIVE  PHRASE 

The  man's  wife's  father  has  come  here  to  live.  The  trees' 
leaves  are  turning  yellow.  The  city's  streets  are  being  paved. 
The  house's  windows  were  red  in  the  sun.  France's  most 
interesting  cities  are  very  old. 

Every  sentence  in  the  above  exercise  is  awkward 
in  some  way,  but  in  each  one  the  possessive  is  properly 
formed.  This  shows  that  there  must  be  some  expression 
to  take  the  place  of  the  possessive,  for  persons  who  speak 
carefully  do  not  use  awkward  forms.  Notice  how  these 
awkward  sentences  are  changed  to  the  following: 

The  father  of  the  man's  wife  has  come  here  to  live.  The 
leaves  of  the  trees  are  turning  yellow.  The  streets  of  the  city 
are  being  paved.  The  windows  of  the  house  were  red  in  the 
sun.  The  most  interesting  cities  of  France  are  very  old. 

The  phrase  of  France  is  far  better  than  France's. 
It  is  partly  a  question  of  sound,  and  it  is  frequently 
better  to  use  the  possessive  phrase  when  speaking  of 
countries.  The  possessive  case  is  used  more  commonly 
about  persons  and  animals,  and  the  of  phrase  is  used 
about  countries,  cities  and  things  in  general  that  are  with- 
out life.  It  is  also  used  wherever  the  possessive  would 
be  hard  to  pronounce.  In  the  following  sentences  use 
the  possessive  phrase  wherever  you  think  it  sounds  well: 

My  sister's  husband's  brother's  automobile  is  broken. 
That  bush's  roots  are  very  long.  The  wagon's  wheel  went  deep 
into  the  mud.  The  dog's  ears  are  long  and  pointed.  The  city's 
fire  department  is  kept  busy. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  the  possessive  singular  or 
plural.  Change  several  of  them  to  the  possessive  phrase. 


226  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

What  do  you  understand  by  the  possessive  case*? 
What  do  you  understand  by  the  possessive  phrase*? 

PRONUNCIATION 

Do  not  carry  the  sound  of  the  letter  at  the  end  of 
one  word  over  to  the  beginning  of  another.  Say  clearly : 

dog's  tail  John's  call 

honest  truth  bright  and  clear 

if  it  rains  Mary  is  tall 

Notice  your  own  language  to  see  if  you  always 
finish  speaking  one  word  before  you  begin  another. 
Make  a  list  of  ten  of  these  slovenly  pronunciations,  and 
drill  on  them  diligently.  To  correct  them  is  only  a  mat- 
ter of  observation  and  care. 


ADJECTIVES 

Use  the  following  adjectives  in  sentences: 

fair  grand  much  brave  old 

light  good  vast  merry  great 

Compare   them.      Good   and   much    are    irregular. 
What  is  the  second   form   for  good?     We  say:    this 

girl  is  good,  this  one  is ,  this  one  is  the  best.    What 

is  the  comparison  of  much?    We  say :  I  have  much  candy, 

you  have  ,  Mary  has  the .     Much  and  many 

have  the  same  comparison,  as: 

much  ) 

many}  more  most 

Write  the  comparison  of  the  adjectives  given  above. 
A  lower  degree  of  an  adjective  as  well  as  a  higher 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  227 

can  be  given  by  comparison.     To  do  this,  less  and  least 
are  used: 

brave  less  brave  least  brave 

grand  less  grand  least  grand 

Write  the  comparison  to  a  lower  degree  of  any  five 
adjectives.  Use  five  of  these  forms  in  sentences. 

What  is  an  adjective4?  What  part  of  speech  does 
it  modify?  What  do  you  understand  by  the  comparison 
of  adjectives? 

ADVERBS 

The  man  saved  the  child  from  drowning. 

The  brave  old  man  saved  the  little  blind  child  from 
drowning. ' 

Quickly  and  bravely  the  man  saved  the  child  from 
drowning. 

In  the  lessons  on  adjectives  a  little  was  learned 
about  the  new  facts  and  the  new  interest  put  into  a  sen- 
tence by  the  use  of  adjectives.  Adverbs  have  a  similar 
power.  A  verb  can  be  described  by  an  adverb  much  as 
a  noun  can  be  described  by  an  adjective.  In  the  third 
sentence  given  above,  quickly  and  bravely  are  adverbs. 
They  are  used  to  describe  the  verb  saved. 

Quickly  and  bravely  the  man  saved  the  child  from 
drowning  here  yesterday.  How  did  the  man  save  the 
child?  Quickly  and  bravely.  When  did  the  man  save 
the  child?  Tester  day.  Where  did  he  save  the  child? 
Here.  In  this  paragraph  all  the  words  in  italics  are 
adverbs. 

The  best  way  to  decide  if  a  word  is  an  adverb  is  to 
see  if  it  tells  something  about  the  verb.  It  is  often  a 


228  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

help  to  ask  how  was  something  done,  when  was  it  done, 
where  was  it  done.  In  fact,  with  children,  adverbs  are 
sometimes  called  "how,  when  or  where  words."  You 
do  not  need  to  call  them  that  roundabout  name;  but 
you  will  find  your  adverbs  more  easily  if  you  remember 
that  they  generally  answer  one  of  the  questions,  how, 
when,  where  or  why. 

Use  adverbs  in  sentences.  Do  not  be  limited  to 
well,  badly,  quickly,  or  the  other  adverbs  that  you  use 
many  times  a  day;  but  think  of  other  words  that  you 
know,  that  you  hear,  and  that  fit  the  thought,  but  that 
you  do  not  use  very  often.  It  may  help  you  to  write  your 
sentences  if  you  put  adverbs  with  the  following  verbs: 

caught  rang  tore 

drank  shone  likes 

saw  done  sank 

What  is  an  adverb?  What  part  of  speech  can  it 
modify?  Can  adverbs  be  compared? 

Adjectives  and  adverbs  are  "pictured"  in  a  diagram 
by  writing  them  under  the  words  that  they  modify  and 
by  indenting  them  somewhat:3 

The  old  man  quickly  saved  the  little  child. 

man        |        saved  |      child 

the  quickly  the 

old  little 

REVIEWS 

Write  sentences  using  rang,  sang,  drank,  began. 
Write  sentences  using  have  sunk,  has  shrunk,  had 
sprung,  has  swum,  has  begun. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  229 

Write  sentences  using  saw,  came,  did,  lias  gone, 
had  gone. 

Write  five  verbs  that  show  action.  Write  five  that 
show  rest.  Write  five  that  show  some  condition;  as, 
/  fear  that  he  is  hurt. 

Write  five  common  nouns;  five  proper  ones.  Write 
their  plurals.  Write  their  possessives. 

Find  five  adjectives  in  your  readers.  Use  them  in 
sentences. 

Think  of  five  adjectives  that  tell  how  an  apple 
tastes. 

Find  five  adjectives  to  describe  a  storm. 

Write  sentences  showing  at  least  three  uses  of  capital 
letters. 

Write  five  simple  quotations. 

Write  three  broken  quotations. 

COMPOSITION 

Write  the  address  of  your  father,  of  an  aunt  and 
of  five  other  persons  whom  you  know,  and  arrange  like 
the  address  given  below: 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Dana 

1919  Twenty-Second  St. 
New  York 

N.  Y. 

Think  of  your  paragraphs  as  you  write  every  paper  / 

Write  a  letter  to  your  mother  about  a  visit  with  an 

aunt,  your  grandmother  or  a  friend.     Was  your  train 

on  time*?    Who  met  you  at  the  station?     How?     How 

were  the  people  whom  you  went  to  visit?     What  have 


230  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

you  been  doing  since  arriving?  Have  you  anything  to 
ask  your  mother  about  how  long  you  can  stay,  or  how 
you  should  return  home? 

Sign  the  letter,  and  write  your  address  at  the  bottom, 
so  that  an  answer  may  reach  you. 

Write  as  if  your  visit  were  not  yet  over.  Use  your 
own  ideas  instead  of  the  above,  if  you  wish  to  do  so. 

Write  a  note  to  a  school  friend,  saying  that  you 
have  been  ill,  and  asking  him  to  get  your  markings  in 
some  study,  to  tell  you  where  the  lessons  are,  or  to  do 
you  some  such  favor. 

Tell  the  story  of  some  poem  that  you  like  to  read 
or  hear  read. 

Tell  some  story  that  you  have  read  or  heard  lately. 
If  it  was  long,  tell  only  a  part  of  it,  but  make  it  a  com- 
plete little  story  by  itself. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  wasp's  nest?  What  does  it  look 
like?  What  are  wasps?  What  do  they  do?  How  do 
they  live?  Have  you  ever  had  an  experience  with  them? 
Was  it  pleasant  or  otherwise?  Tell  some  of  the  things 
that  you  know  about  wasps. 

Tell  all  or  part  of  some  story  that  you  have  been 
interested  in  lately. 

Do  you  know  anything  about  fire-engine  horses? 
Tell  about  them,  what  they  know,  what  they  can  do, 
how  strong  they  are  and  any  other  points  that  interest 
you. 

What  do  you  think  of  when  you  read  the  word 
delicious?  Does  it  suggest  something  good  to  eat? 
Where  did  you  have  it?  What  was  it?  Who  made  it 
or  gave  it  to  you? 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  231 

Write  an  interesting  description  of  some  person. 
Write  it  as  you  think  it,  or  as  you  would  tell  it.  Do 
not  give  bare  details.  Tell  things  that  you  like  or  dis- 
like. The  following  may  help  you  somewhat: 

I  know  a  man  that  I  like  so  well  I  want  you  to  know 
him  too.  He  is  tall,  and  he  is  so  dignified  that,  at  first,  you 
might  be  afraid  of  him.  Just  as  soon  as  you  see  his  face, 
however;  you  will  love  him.  He  is  so  kind  that  you  want  to 
go  straight  to  his  side.  His  eyes  look  at  you  with  so  much 
love  that  you  wonder  if  he  ever  scolds.  He  laughs  when  you 
pull  his  fingers  or  hunt  in  his  pockets,  and  you  forget  that  he 
is  dignified  and  a  lawyer. 

Do  you  know  who  he  is?    He  is  my  father. 

* 

The  picture  on  the  next  page,  a  "Marine  View," 
is  a  reproduction  of  a  painting  by  a  famous  Dutch  artist. 
This  painter,  Ruysdael,  knew  much  about  the  sea,  for  he 
lived  near  it.  The  ships  in  his  picture  were  probably 
near  some  city  of  Holland.  Imagine  that  you  are  start- 
ing on  a  trip  on  one  of  these  vessels.  Tell  where  you  are 
going  and  what  business  you  are  engaged  in.  Do  you 
like  a  trip  on  the  sea?  Do  you  think  you  are  going  to 
be  sea-sick?  Imagine  your  story,  and  write  it;  or  make 
an  interesting  story  about  something  that  you  know  about 
ships  and  the  sea. 


THIRD    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF   SUBJECTS 

PRONOUNS 

SENTENCES 

SYNONYMS 

ABBREVIATIONS 

QUOTATIONS 

PARTICIPLES  IN  SENTENCES 

COMMON  ERRORS 

PRONUNCIATION 

ADJECTIVE  PHRASES 

ADVERBS  AND  ADVERBIAL  PHRASES 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 

PUNCTUATION 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


234  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PRONOUNS5 

In  the  table  of  pronouns  given  below  you  will  see 
some  new  headings.  Nominative  is  used  in  place  of  the 
word  subject;  objective  is  used  in  place  of  the  word 
object.  You  will  understand  why  this  change  is  made. 
It  is  because  you  are  now  old  enough  to  know  that  the 
subject  of  a  sentence  is  in  the  nominative  case;  the  pos- 
sessive modifier  is  in  the  possessive  case;  and  the  object 
of  a  verb  or  preposition  is  in  the  objective  case.  You  can 
now  use  the  longer  but  more  correct  word  as  easily  as 
you  used  the  shorter  word  last  year. 

SINGULAR 

NOMINATIVE                                    POSSESSIVE  OBJECTIVE 

I  my  or  mine  me 

thou  thine  thee 

he  his  him 

she  her  or  hers  her 

it  its  it 

PLURAL 

we  our  or  ours  us 

you  your  or  yours  you 

they  their  or  theirs  them 

Write  three  sentences  using  in  each  two  nominative 
(subject)  pronouns. 

Write  three  sentences  using  possessive  pronouns. 

Write  three  sentences  using  in  each  two  objective 
pronouns,  as  objects  of  either  a  verb  or  a  preposition. 

You  have  for  some  time  been  trying  to  remember 
to  say,  it  is  7,  it  is  he,  and  similar  forms.  This  study 
about  the  subject  and  object  will  help  you.  In  the  sen- 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  235 

tence,  it  is  I,  what  is  the  subject?  Turn  the  sentence 
around,  I  am  it.  Suppose  this  is  the  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion, who  is  there*?  The  answer  is,  the  one  who  is  here 
is  I;  or,  it  is  I.  Or  the  answer  might  be:  I  am  the 
one  who  is  here.  The  meaning  is  the  same,  no 
matter  which  way  the  sentence  is  turned.  That  is,  the 
real  subject  of  the  sentence  is  I.  This  is  always  true  with 
is,  are,  was,  were.  The  word  it  seems  to  be  the  subject 
of  the  sentence;  but,  in  reality,  the  subject  is  I,  he,  she, 
or  whatever  word  comes  after  the  verb.  //  takes  the  place 
of  several  other  words  as  a  shorter  way  of  expressing  one's 
thought.  Who  is  there'?  The  person  who  is  here  (it) 
is  I.  Consequently,  the  pronoun  that  follows  is,  are,  was 
and  were,  is  always  the  real  subject,  and  so  is  in  the 
nominative  case. 

Answer  the  following  questions  by  using  the  subject 
pronouns;  as,  it  is  I,  it  was  you,  it  was  they: 

Who  lost  his  pencil ?  Who  opened  the  door?  Who  threw 
the  ball  ?  Who  came  late  yesterday  ?  Who  shut  the  cat  in  the 
closet? 

Write  five  such  questions  and  answer  them. 

What  is  a  pronoun  ?  What  do  you  understand  by 
the  nominative  case?  When  is  a  noun  or  a  pronoun  in 
the  nominative  case?  When  is  a  noun  or  a  pronoun 
in  the  possessive  case?  When  is  a  noun  or  a  pronoun 
in  the  objective  case? 

In  answering  the  following  questions  use  a  possessive 
pronoun : 

Whose  pencil  is  this ?  (It  is  my  pencil.)  Whose  picture 
is  on  the  floor?  Whose  things  are  in  my  chair? 


236  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Write  five  sentences  using  possessive  pronouns. 

Did  you  ever  hear  any  one  say,  "Them  things  arc 
mine'"?  Them  things.  Think  a  minute.  Would  you 
say,  him  hat  or  us  maps'?  Where  does  them  belong  in 
the  list  of  pronouns'?  It  is  one  of  the  pronouns  in  the 
objective  list,  is  it  not?  We  may  use  possessive  pro- 
nouns before  nouns,  but  we  should  not  use  object  or  sub- 
ject pronouns  to  modify  nouns.  For  instance,  we  can 
say,  his  things,  our  books,  her  cloak,  and  so  on  down 
through  the  whole  list  of  possessive  pronouns.  Some- 
times the  possessive  and  objective  pronouns  are  alike,  but 
it  is  always  the  possessive  pronoun  that  we  use  before  a 
noun. 

tfhem  is  one  of  the  object  pronouns,  and  can  not  be 
used  to  modify  a  noun,  tfkose  is  the  word  to  use  in  such 
places,  for  those  is  an  adjective  and  can  be  used  with  a 
noun.  It  is  always  the  mark  of  an  uneducated  person 
to  say  "them  things."  Don't  say  it.  Say  those  things, 
those  boys,  those  books. 

Use  those  in  the  following  sentences: 

flowers  on  the  table  are  yours;  on  the  book- 
case are  mine.  men  down  the  street  are  laying  a  side- 
walk.   boys  are  too  tired  to  walk  farther.  Where  are 

eggs  that  I  bought? 


SENTENCES 

Every  sentence  has  its  own  nature,  just  as  a  person 
has.  Some  are  commands,  some  are  statements,  some  are 
questions  and  still  others  are  exclamations.  Notice  the 
following : 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  237 

The  rain  has  been  falling  all  day  long. 
Who  was  it  came  to  the  door? 
John,  bring  me  my  hat. 
Hurrah,  the  troops  are  coming ! 

The  first  sentence  above  is  a  statement.  It  makes  a 
declaration.  The  second  one  asks  a  question.  The  third 
gives  a  command.  The  fourth  is  an  exclamation.  Sen- 
tences are  named  according  to  their  nature.  A  statement 
is  called  a  declarative  sentence;  a  question  is  called  an 
interrogative  sentence;  a  command  is  called  an  impera- 
tive sentence,  and  an  exclamation  is  called  an  exclamatory 
sentence.  The  majority  of  our  sentences  are  statements. 
Next  in  number  are  the  questions.  Then  come  the  com- 
mands. The  fewest  of  all  are  the  exclamatory  sentences. 

Write  five  statements  and  punctuate  them  correctly. 

Write  five  interrogative  sentences  and  punctuate 
them  correctly. 

Write  five  imperative  sentences.  What  mark  should 
be  put  at  the  end*? 

Write  five  exclamatory  sentences.  What  mark 
should  be  put  at  the  end? 

SYNONYMS 

Select  from  some  story  five  adjectives,  five  nouns 
and  five  verbs.  Find  synonyms  for  them  all,  if  you  can. 
Which  part  of  speech  did  you  find  most  difficult  to  replace 
with  a  synonym — noun,  adjective  or  verb?  Why? 


238  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


REVIEWS 

Write  the  abbreviations  for  all  the  months. 
Learn  the  following: 

pd.  paid 

Mt.  mountain 

ans.  answer 

doz.  dozen 

bbl.  barrel 


Write  a  conversation  you  have  heard  recently.  Per- 
haps it  was  one  that  took  place  before  you  came  to  school 
this  morning.  Put  in  the  quotation  marks.  Wherever  it 
seems  necessary,  use  the  names  of  the  persons  who  were 
speaking.  Be  on  the  lookout  for  the  correct  use  of  periods, 
commas,  exclamation  points,  interrogation  points,  capi- 
tals and  paragraph  divisions. 


Got  is  a  word  that  is  used  far  more  frequently  than 
it  should  be.  Sometimes  it  is  unnecessary  in  a  sentence, 
and  sometimes  another  word  would  be  more  exact  or  more 
elegant.  In  the  following  sentences  make  some  change  so 
that  got  is  not  used : 

He  ain't  got  no  pencil.  He's  got  two  birds.  She's  got  her 
two  dresses  since  Christmas.  Mother  got  me  a  new  hat  yes- 
terday. He  got  hurt  skating.  The  dog  got  chased  out  of  the 
house.  The  bird's  nest  got  blown  out  of  the  tree. 

Collect  ten  sentences  where  you  hear  got.  Decide 
if  it  is  a  good  use  of  this  word.  If  not,  either  leave  it  out 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  239 

or  put  a  better  word  in  its  place.     If  it  is  a  proper  use, 
leave  it. 

Got  means  procure,  become.     Look  up  in  the  dic- 
tionary its  other  meanings,  and  use  it  accordingly. 


Do  not  leave  off  g  in  saying  ing: 

playing  coming  returning  hunting 

running  going  borrowing  hiding 

singing  dancing  lending  driving 


PARTICIPLES   IN    SENTENCES 

Participles  were  explained  and  used  in  the  fourth 
grade.  If  you  have  any  difficulty  in  understanding  the 
following  lesson,  turn  back  to  the  exercises  on  participles 
in  the  fourth  grade,  and  study  them  carefully. 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

hide  hid  hiding  hidden 

take  took  taking  taken. 

What  is  the  present  participle  of  a  verb?  That  is, 
with  what  syllable  does  it  end  and  which  form  of  the 
verb  is  it4? 

Which  form  of  the  verb  is  the  past  participle?  With 
what  words  may  it  be  used  when  it  is  a  part  of  the 
predicate? 

Write  the  short,  simple  sentences  which  follow, 
making  them  much  fuller  by  putting  in  thoughts  intro- 
duced by  present  or  past  participles.  The  following  list 
of  participles  may  help  suggest  thoughts: 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLES  PAST  PARTICIPLES 

hunting        hiding      spanning  taken  wounded 

crossing       hoping     desiring  bitten  built 


240  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

The  boy  found  his  rabbit.  The  bridge  is  made  of  stone. 
The  poor  old  soldier  returned  home.  King  Midas  asked  for 
gold. 

There  may  be  several  ways  of  changing  every  sen- 
tence, as :  The  boy  found  his  rabbit  hiding  under  a  bush. 
The  boy  found  his  wounded  rabbit. 


ADJECTIVE    PHRASES 

The  early  home  of  Columbus  was  in  Genoa,  Italy. 
About  what  are  we  talking  in  this  sentence?  The  early 
home.  Early  is  an  adjective  modifying  home.  There  is 
something  else  told  about  the  home;  it  is  the  home  of 
Columbus.  These  two  words,  taken  together,  form  what 
is  called  a  prepositional  phrase,  because  it  is  made  up  of  a 
preposition,  <?/,  and  its  object,  Columbus.  The  phrase  of 
Columbus  tells  something  about  the  home,  as  the  adjective 
early  does.  That  is,  the  phrase,  like  the  adjective,  modi- 
fies the  noun;  consequently,  it  is  called  an  adjective 
phrase.  See  if  there  are  any  adjective  phrases  in  the 
following  sentences: 

The  boy  with  the  bag  of  beans  hurried  away.  The  moun- 
tains along  the  coast  are  not  so  high  as  the  mountains  of  the 
interior.  The  valley  of  the  Mississippi  is  very  wide  and  long. 
The  day  of  the  picnic  came  finally.  I  have  forgotten  the  words 
of  the  song. 

Take  one  of  the  papers  you  have  written  lately; 
select  from  it  ten  nouns,  and  modify  them  by  using 
phrases.  Remember  that  a  prepositional  phrase  is  a 
preposition  and  its  object.  The  object  is  usually  a  noun 
or  a  pronoun. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  .  241 

In  the  following  sentences  change  the  italicized 
words  to  phrases  having  the  same,  or  about  the  same, 
meaning: 

A  penniless  beggar  stood  near  the  gate.  It  looked  like  a 
bottomless  well.  That  man  is  a  Bostonian.  A  cold  north  wind 
was  blowing. 

Select  five  adjectives  from  any  of  your  recent  papers 
and  change  them  to  phrases.  Put  adjectives  before  some 
of  your  objects.  Have  you  improved  your  papers? 

Compare  the  following  adjectives,  remembering  that 
long  words  take  more  and  most  instead  of  er  and  est. 

full  large  comfortable  blue 

happy  soft  beautiful  salt 

• 

Write  sentences  using  these  adjectives:  wooden, 
Californian,  Arabian,  impolite,  wealthy. 

Rewrite  the  sentences,  keeping  the  meaning  of  the 
adjectives,  but  changing  them  into  phrases. 

Write  sentences  using  these  phrases:  with  large 
hands;  with  comfortable  rooms;  of  stone;  of  copper. 

What  do  you  understand  by  a  phrase*?  Make  a 
definition  of  one  for  yourself.  Why  are  they  sometimes 
called  adjective  phrases'? 

A  sentence  with  adjective  phrases  is  pictured  below. 
Notice  where  all  the  words  are  written.  Notice  also  the 
line  separating  the  preposition  from  its  object. 

The  wind  from  the  north  blew  hard. 

wind  |  blew 

the  hard 

from  [north 
the 


242    .  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


ADVERBS    AND    ADVERBIAL    PHRASES 

Write  sentences  using  these  verbs,  modifying  each 
with  at  least  one  adverb:  saw,  did,  written,  broken, 
began,  forgotten. 

Do  not  use  good  as  an  adverb;  it  is  an  adjective. 
Use  well  where  you  usually  use  good  as  an  adverb,  as: 
He  rides  his  bicycle  well.  She  plays  well. 

Use  these  adverbs  in  sentences:  clearly,  well,  badly, 
completely,  easily,  yesterday,  last  week,  neatly. 

Compare  the  adverbs  in  the  last  sentence.  Be  care- 
ful about  well  and  badly.  Are  they  compared  regularly? 
Can  you  compare  yesterday?  What  part  of  speech  is 
yesterday,  as  it  is  usually  used*?  What  part  of  speech 
is  week?  Both  are  used  here  as  what  part  of  speech? 
Such  changes  from  one  part  of  speech  to  another  are  fre- 
quent. Last  week,  taken  together,  is  used  here  as  an 
adverb.  Usually  week  would  be  what  part  of  speech? 
Last  would  be  what  part  of  speech?  We  shall  learn  more 
about  these  interesting  changes  later.  For  the  present  it 
is  enough  to  know  that  they  can  be  made. 

Can  you  compare  completely?  If  anything  is  com- 
plete, in  what  state  is  it?  Can  it  be  more  complete?  If 
anything  is  finished,  can  it  be  more  finished?  If  anything 
is  round,  really  round,  can  it  be  rounder?  You  see  there 
are  some  words  that  by  their  meaning  are  finished  in  them- 
selves; consequently,  they  can  not  be  compared.  This 
is  true  of  both  adjectives  and  adverbs. 

There  are  adverbial  phrases  as  there  are  adjective 
phrases,  as:  We  went  to  San  Francisco.  Where  did  we 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  243 

go?  fo  San  Francisco.  How  did  we  go?  On  the 
boat.  We  went  to  San  Francisco  on  the  boat.  Each  of 
these  two  phrases  tells  something  about  went,  the  verb. 
They  are  adverbial  phrases.  They  are  diagramed  like 
adjective  phrases,  except  that  they  are,  of  course,  written 
under  the  verb  that  they  modify,  as  in  the  diagram  below : 

we  |  went 

to   i   San  Francisco 
on  i    boat 
the 

Notice  the  separation  of  the  preposition  and  its 
object  "by  a  short  line.  The  subject  is  separated  from 
the  verb,  and  the  verb  from  the  object  in  the  same  way. 

What  do  you  understand  by  an  adverbial  phrase? 


PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE6 

See  if  you  can  tell  why  the  following  story  is  para- 
graphed as  it  is,  and  what  the  thought  is  in  each 
paragraph : 

GRANDFATHER'S  BEAR 

"When  I  was  a  little  boy,"  grandfather  said — and 
then  we  all  ran  to  him  to  listen.  We  knew  he  was 
beginning  a  true  story. 

"When  I  was  a  little  boy,  I  lived  in  a  little  house 
near  the  edge  of  a  forest.  I  liked  to  play  in  the  forest. 
I  gathered  nuts  in  the  fall,  and  found  the  first  flowers 
in  the  spring.  I  knew  where  the  birds  built  their  nests, 
where  the  rabbits  dug  their  holes,  and  where  the  squirrels 
hid  their  young. 

"But  there  was  one  fellow  in  the  woods  that  I  feared. 


244  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

That  was  the  bear.  I  never  went  far  into  the  woods 
alone  because  I  was  afraid  I  should  meet  one. 

"One  day  my  father  and  mother  went  away  and 
left  me  at  home  with  my  little  brother.  They  told  me 
to  take  good  care  of  the  baby  and  to  boil  water  for  supper. 

"I  played  with  my  brother  until  it  grew  dark;  then 
I  made  a  blazing  fire,  and  hung  the  kettle  on  to  boil 
water  for  tea.  It  was  soon  singing  merrily,  while  my 
brother  slept. 

"  'Now,'  I  thought,  T  can  read  the  new  book  father 
gave  me.'  So  I  sat  down  to  read  by  the  light  of  the  fire. 
I  do  not  know  how  long  I  sat  there,  but  suddenly  I  heard 
a  noise.  I  looked  up  from  my  book,  and  saw  a  bear 
standing  in  the  open  door. 

"What  could  I  do?  I  had  no  gun,  no  club;  nobody 
was  near  to  help  me.  In  a  moment  the  bear  would  take 
my  sleeping  brother  in  his  huge  paws. 

"He  came  into  the  room  and  went  toward  the  cradle. 
I  seized  the  kettle  of  water  and  rushed  upon  him.  He 
turned  his  head  angrily  toward  me  as  I  moved,  and 
received  a  shower  of  boiling  water  in  his  eyes,  nose,  ears 
and  open  mouth. 

"This  caused  the  furious  beast  intense  pain.  But, 
blinded  by  the  hot  water,  he  turned  back  and  almost  fell 
out  of  the  door.  I  hastened  to  close  it,  bolted  it,  and 
then  dropped,  weak  and  fainting,  to  the  floor. 

"When  my  parents  came  home  they  called  me  a 
brave  boy,  a  hero.  I  shall  never  forget  how  proud  I 
was." 

The  thought  of  the  first  paragraph  is  that  grand- 
father begins  a  story.  That  of  the  second  tells  about  his 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  245 

pleasures  in  the  great  forest.  That  of  the  third  tells 
what  he  feared  in  the  forest. 

Write  down  the  thought  of  the  other  paragraphs. 

As  you  pass  from  one  paragraph  to  the  next,  think 
whether  you  would  have  made  a  new  division  if  you  had 
been  writing  the  story.  The  difficulty  is  to  know  that 
one  group  of  thoughts,  or  a  paragraph,  has  been  finished, 
and  that  it  is  time  to  begin  another. 


PUNCTUATION 

In  the  story  "Grandfather's  Bear"  there  are  some 
interesting  points  to  be  learned  about  punctuation.  Look 
first  at  the  use  of  the  comma.  See  if  you  can  tell  why 
every  comma  is  used. 

You  have  written  many  adjective  clauses,  beginning 
with  who,  which,  that  and  what;  and  many  adverbial 
clauses,  beginning  with  while,  when,  until  and  similar 
words.  You  know  that  sometimes  these  clauses  come 
right  after  the  noun  or  the  verb  that  they  modify,  and 
that  sometimes  they  are  changed  around  in  the  sentence. 
Look  at  the  first  sentence  in  the  second  paragraph.  If  it 
read,  I  lived  in  a  little  house  near  the  edge  of  a  forest 
when  I  was  a  little  boy,  there  would  be  no  comma;  but 
the  clause  is  taken  out  of  its  natural  place  and  put  first, 
"When  I  was  a  little  boy,  I  lived  in  a  little  house  near  the 
edge  of  a  forest."  Because  of  this  change  of  position,  a 
comma  is  used.  This  is  not  hard  to  remember.  You  will 
learn  to  put  in  the  comma  without  thinking;  for,  if  you 
watch  yourself,  you  will  see  that  you  stop  a  second  after 
the  clause,  "When  I  was  a  little  boy."  You  stop  natu- 


246  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

rally  because  the  clause  has  been  changed  about.  Re- 
member, the  comma  is  used  when  the  clause  is  changed 
from  its  natural  position  close  to  the  word  that  it  modifies. 

Sometimes  two  or  more  short  sentences  are  con- 
nected by  and,  or,  but  or  some  similar  word.  The  result 
is  a  compound  sentence  made  up  of  clauses.  If  these 
clauses  are  not  very  closely  connected  in  meaning,  they 
are  separated  by  commas.  There  are  several  compound 
sentences  in  the  story,  "Grandfather's  Bear." 

In  this  story  find  the  clauses  that  are  dependent. 
Are  they  set  off  by  commas'?  Why?  Are  there  any 
dependent  clauses  that  are  not  set  off  by  commas'?  Why 
not? 

Find  the  compound  sentences.  Are  any  of  their 
clauses  separated  by  commas'?  Why?  Are  any  not 
separated  by  commas?  Why  not? 

For  some  time  you  will  have  many  questions  to  ask 
yourself  about  your  punctuation  of  clauses,  but  you  will 
be  learning  much  by  asking  those  questions.  Punctuate 
as  carefully  as  you  know  how  this  year,  and  you  will  be 
surprised  to  find  how  rapidly  the  use  of  all  the  punctua- 
tion marks  grows  easier;  but  if  you  do  not  use  them 
you  will  not  learn.  You  will  make  mistakes,  but  the  fact 
of  thinking  and  thinking  and  thinking  about  how  to 
punctuate  this,  that  and  the  other  clause  will  lead  you  to 
find  out  how  to  do  it. 

COMPOSITION 

What  comes  into  your  mind  on  reading  the  words, 
down  by  the  riverl  Write  it,  whether  it  is  a  picture,  an 
incident  or  a  story. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  247 

Think  of  some  woman  whom  you  like  to  visit. 
What  does  she  do  to  make  your  visit  pleasant?  What 
does  she  say?  Does  she  play  with  you?  Does  she  let 
you  play?  Does  she  talk  with  you?  Is  she  interested 
in  what  you  are  doing?  Does  she  give  you  good  things 
to  eat?  Does  she  enjoy  your  coming  to  see  her?  Write 
about  one  of  your  visits  at  her  house. 

Did  you  ever  visit  a  farmyard  or  a  poultry  yard? 
Do  you  know  anything  about  the  proud,  strutting  turkeys ; 
the  haughty  peacocks;  the  waddling,  inquisitive  ducks;  the 
industrious  chickens?  If  you  are  acquainted  with  fowls, 
you  can  write  an  interesting  little  paper  about  them. 

What  thoughts  come  to  you  with  the  word  skating? 
Write  them. 

In  your  geography  you  have  read  of  foreign  countries 
or  states.  Imagine  that  you  are  living  in  some  place  you 
enjoy  reading  about;  write  the  thoughts  that  come  to 
you. 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  the  following  group  of 
words :  dog,  rat,  sunshine,  smelling,  barnyard. 

Imagine  yourself  a  parrot  and  tell  some  of  your 
experiences. 

Write  a  letter  to  your  father,  telling  him  that  you 
would  like  to  have  a  dog,  a  donkey,  a  canary  or  some  other 
pet.  Tell  what  you  would  do  with  it.  Make  the  letter 
interesting.  Below  the  letter,  write  the  address  as  you 
would  put  it  on  the  envelope. 

The  picture  on  the  next  page,  "The  Escaped 
Cow,"  makes  us  think  that  the  boy  and  the  cow  are  having 
an  exciting  time.  What  do  you  think  has  happened? 
Do  you  think  the  other  cows  also  may  get  excited? 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  249 

What  is  the  boy  trying  to  do?  Do  you  think  he  will 
succeed?  Where  do  you  think  the  cow  has  started  for? 
See  an  interesting  story  in  this  picture,  and  write  it. 


FOURTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Use  in  sentences 
Present  Participles 

PREPOSITIONS 

INTERJECTIONS 

PRONOUNS 

PUNCTUATION 

COMMON  ERRORS 

REVIEWS 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  251 


VERBS 

USE  IN  SENTENCES 

Write  the  principal  parts  of  see,  be,  come,  go  and  do, 
and  arrange  as  follows: 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

see  saw  seeing  seen 

Write  five  sentences  with  saw;  five  with  seen;  five 
with  came;  five  with  have  or  has  come.  Write  the 
conjugation  of  the  past  tense  of  do. 

Fill  in  the  blanks  in  the  following  sentences  with 
forms  of  the  verbs  given  above : 

Who with  you  ?    I alone.    What  have  you 

with  my  basket?    I  -     -  you  put  it  into  the  bedroom.     There 
two  baskets  here.        —  they  both  yours  ? 

Complete  each  sentence  given  below  by  using  one  of 
the  following  verbs: 

sit  set  like  spoke 

sat  forgotten  love  spoken 

Where  do  you  want  to  —    —  ?    We  have •  in  the  back 

seat  for  two  years.    Who aloud?    Do  you  -  —  to  go  to 

the  island  for  a  picnic? 

Make  at  least  one  sentence  for  every  verb  in  the 
above  list. 

Which  of  the  verbs  given  above  are  past  participles? 
How  do  you  know  they  are?  With  what  auxiliary 
words  can  a  past  participle  always  be  used?  Tell  in 
your  own  language  what  you  understand  by  a  past 


252  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

participle.     If  necessary,   refer  to  the  fourth  grade  to 
answer  the  questions  in  this  paragraph. 

Complete  each  sentence  given  below  by  using  one 
of  the  following  verbs  : 

ate  stolen  lie  lay 

eaten  broken  lain  laid 

The  squirrel  has the  nuts.    The  man  has under 

the  haystack  for  an  hour.    This  window  is .    That  man  is 

a  thief,  he  has  several  times. the  package  in  the 

room. 

Write  twenty  sentences  of  your  own,  using  the  verbs 
given  above. 

Use  the  following  verbs  in  the  sentences  below: 

shook  took  lie  wrote 

shaken  taken  lay  written 

Our  chimney  was down  by  the  earthquake.    Let  the 

book on  the  table.     Have  you  —  -  your  geography  les- 
son yet?    Yes,  I  —  -  it  last  night.     The  boys  have  off 

their  shoes  and  gone  in  wading. 

Write  sentences  using  the  verbs  in  the  list  above. 

Which  of  these  verbs  show  action  of  any  kind? 
Which  one  shows  some  position?  Does  any  one  of  them 
show  a  condition?  A  verb  may  show  what?  What 
do  you  understand  by  a  verb? 

What  are  the  principal  parts  of  a  verb?  How 
many  principal  parts  are  there? 

PRESENT    PARTICIPLE 

The  present  participle  is  an  interesting  form  of  a 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  253 

verb,  because  it  has  so  many  uses.  It  can  help  finish 
out  the  meaning  of  a  verb;  it  can  be  a  noun;  and  it  can 
be  an  adjective.  Notice  below  how  the  present  participle 
flying  is  used  in  these  three  ways: 

The  bird  is  flying.  What  does  this  sentence  say 
that  the  bird  is  doing?  It  is  flying.  Flying  is  here  a 
part  of  the  verb,  showing  action. 

Flying  must  be  difficult.  What  are  we  talking 
about  here?  Flying,  the  action  of  the  bird.  Here 
flying  is  used  as  a  noun. 

The  flying  bird  mounted  higher  and  higher.  Here 
flying  is  used  as  an  adjective. 

This  changing  around  of  the  present  participle  is 
very  interesting.  It  helps  us  in  the  use  of  words;  hence, 
in  improving  speech  and  writing.  Use  the  following 
present  participles  in  these  three  ways,  or  in  two  if  you 
can  not  think  of  three: 

stealing  shaking  driving 

eating  drawing  writing 

swinging  speaking  sliding 

What  is  a  present  participle?  In  what  ways  can 
it  be  used? 


SOME   PREPOSITIONS 

One  of  the  marks  of  a  correct  speaker  and  writer  is 
the  accurate,  fitting  use  of  everyday  words.  There  are 
many  difficulties  here;  the  greatest  of  them,  perhaps,  is 
that  we  hear  these  little,  common  words  used  incor- 
rectly so  many  times  that  the  ear  scarcely  notices  the 
errors  and  the  tongue  repeats  them  unconsciously.  The 


254  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

only  way  to  help  ourselves  is  to  know  the  right  form  and 
then  to  use  it  constantly,  no  matter  what  we  hear  other 
persons  say. 

Here  are  six  words  that  are  frequently  misused:  in 
and  into;  beside  and  besides;  to  and  at. 

In  means  within,  inside  of.  Into  means  to  go  from 
the  outside  to  the  inside.  Note  the  following: 

My  books  are  in  my  bag.    Put  your  books  into  your  bag. 
My  aunt  is  in  the  house.     I  must  go  into  the  house. 

Into  is  rarely  mistaken  for  in;  for  instance,  you 
would  never  say,  my  books  are  into  my  bag.  Many 
persons,  however,  seldom  use  into.  They  say,  "I  must 
go  in  the  house."  You  must  be  watchful  not  to  use  in 
for  into. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  in. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  into. 

Beside  means  by  the  side  of;  besides  means  in  addi- 
tion to.  Sit  beside  me.  Come  here  beside  me.  Many 
came  besides  those  who  were  invited. 

Give  five  sentences  using  beside.  Give  five  using 
besides. 

tfo  usually  shows  motion ;  at  shows  rest. 

My  mother  is  at  home.    She  is  going  to  the  store  today. 
My  father  is  at  work.    He  goes  to  the  shop  every  day. 

At  is  not  used  incorrectly  for  to.  You  do  not  hear 
"She  is  going  at  the  store."  fo  is  used  incorrectly  for 
at  in  many  places,  so  this  is  the  mistake  to  look  out  for. 
You  often  hear,  and  say  perhaps,  "My  mother  is  to 
home."  "My  father  is  to  work."  "He  is  to  the  shop/' 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  255 

Put  at  in  these  places,  as :  My  mother  is  at  home.  My 
father  is  at  work.  He  is  at  the  shop. 

Give  ten  sentences  using  at,  showing  that  some  one 
is  in  a  place;  as,  he  is  at  school.  Whenever  motion  toward 
a  place  is  meant,  use  to;  as,  he  went  to  school. 

Watch  your  speech  to  see  if  you  can  find  five  sen- 
tences where  you  have  used  to  for  at.  Write  the  ex- 
pressions correctly.  Listen  to  others  talking  to  see  if 
you  notice  five  sentences  where  the  same  mistake  is  made. 
Write  these  expressions  correctly. 

A  preposition  usually  takes  a  noun  or  a  pronoun 
for  its  object.  It  is  a  word  showing  the  relation  between 
its  object  and  some  other  word. 

Write  three  sentences  in  which  a  preposition  is  used, 
and  tell  between  what  words  each  preposition  shows 
relation. 


PRONOUNS 

Make  a  list  of  the  nominative  pronouns,  or  those 
used  as  subjects.  Make  a  list  of  the  objective  pronouns, 
or  those  used  as  objects. 

In  writing  the  sentences  asked  for  in  the  next  para- 
graph, decide  whether  you  are  going  to  use  the  subject 
or  the  object  form  of  the  pronoun.  This  will  help  you  to 
use  them  correctly. 

Write  a  sentence  in  which  you  use,  with  Harry  and 
me\  one  in  which  you  use,  he  and  I;  one  in  which  you 
use,  she  and  her  mother;  one  in  which  you  use,  for  her 
and  her  mother;  one  in  which  you  use,  he  and  she;  and 
one  in  which  you  use,  for  him  and  her. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Here  follows  a  list  of  the  pronouns  that  we  use 
constantly : 

SINGULAR  PLURAL 

1.  we 

2.  you 


3.     they 

When  you  use  these  pronouns  or  hear  them  used,  do 
you  know  what  person  is  meant?  Do  you  know  whether 
the  speaker  is  meant,  the  person  spoken  to,  or  the  person 
spoken  of?  Try  it.  I  means  the  speaker,  and  so  doej 
its  plural,  we,  as :  I  am  going.  We  are  going. 

Ton  and  thou  mean  the  person  spoken  to,  as:  Are 
you  sick? 

He,  she  and  it,  and  their  plural  form,  they,  all  refer 
to  persons  spoken  of,  as:  He  is  not  here  yet.  They 
will  come  tomorrow. 

/  and  we  are  said  to  be  in  the  first  person;  you  and 
thou  are  in  the  second  person;  he,  she,  it  and  they  are  in 
the  third  person.  The  numbers  in  the  list  above  indicate 
the  persons.  These  pronouns,  and  their  possessive  and 
objective  forms  also,  are  called  personal  pronouns.  Can 
you  tell  how  they  get  their  name? 

Give  the  following  sentences  without  the  unneces- 
sary pronouns  that  are  shown  in  italics: 

My  mother  she  is  going  too.  Harry  he  fell  down  and 
spoiled  his  lunch.  Mary  and  Jennie  they  filled  the  box. 

Notice  your  own  language  and  that  of  others  to  see  if 
you  can  find  five  more  sentences  like  these,  where  the 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  257 

pronoun  is  used  unnecessarily.  Correct  the  sentences. 
See  the  fourth  grade  for  more  work  on  this  error  in  the 
use  of  pronouns. 

Sometimes  we  hear  "hisn,"  "ourn,"  "theirn," 
"yourn,"  "hern."  These  are  incorrect.  In  the  following 
sentences  use  the  correct  form  of  these  pronouns: 

This  coat  is .    Those  birds  are .    The  marbles 

are .    These  maps  are . 

If  you  hear  any  of  these  incorrect  uses  of  possessive 
pronouns  think  immediately  of  the  correct  form.  Write 
down  five  that  you  hear,  and  correct  them;  or  write  five 
using  his,  hers,  theirs,  ours  and  yours. 


I  am  going  with  the  man.  He  is  a  friend  of  my 
father. 

In  the  last  sentence  he  is  a  pronoun,  taking  the  place 
of  man  in  the  first  sentence.  The  two  sentences  are  really 
independent,  but  we  know  that  they  belong  together  in 
meaning.  Let  us  connect  them  as  follows : 

I  am  going  with  the  man,  who  is  a  friend  of  my 
father. 

The  meaning  in  this  last  sentence  is  almost  the  same 
as  in  the  two  sentences  given  first;  but  the  two  sentences 
are  now  unquestionably  one.  What  do  I  know  about  this 
man  with  whom  I  am  going  ?  I  know  that  he  is  a  friend 
of  my  father.  The  whole  clause,  who  is  a  friend  of  my 
father,  is  like  an  adjective;  it  tells  me  something  about 
this  man.  How  do  we  fasten  the  sentences  together  so 
closely?  By  using  who.  Who  is  a  pronoun,  and  so  is  he; 


258  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

but  he  is  a  personal  pronoun,  simply  taking  the  place  of 
the  noun  in  a  sentence,  while  who  is  a  relative  pronoun, 
taking  the  place  of  the  noun  and  also  fastening  to  it  a 
clause  that  belongs  with  it.  You  see  the  dependent  clause 
is  a  relative  of  the  noun;  just  as  you  have  relatives — 
aunts,  cousins  and  uncles.  Who  is  a  relative  pronoun 
because  it  joins  such  a  clause  to  the  noun  (its  antecedent). 

There  are  four  relative  pronouns — who,  which, 
what,  that.  Who  is  used  in  talking  about  persons. 
Which  refers  to  animals  and  things,  'that  is  used  in 
certain  places  for  persons,  animals  and  things.  What 
is  used  for  things.  Who  and  which  are  easily  used. 
that  has  some  difficulties,  which  you  can  master  when 
older.  What  is  not  very  difficult. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  learn  to  use  all  these  relative 
pronouns,  for  with  their  help  we  can  make  many  changes 
in  sentences. 

Put  together  the  sentences  given  below  in  pairs,  by 
using  relative  pronouns: 

I  know  a  lady. 

She  called  to  see  my  mother. 

You  gave  me  a  ball. 
I  lost  it. 

The  rose  tree  was  dying. 
My  brother  cut  it  down. 

You  want  something. 
I  know  it. 

Put  who,  which,  what  or  that  into  the  following 
sentences : 

The  man said  so  was  mistaken.    The  dog my 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  259 

brother  bought  has  long,  curly  hair.    The  horse Alexander 

rode  was  called  Bucephalus.    He  told  us  about  everything 

he  saw.    I  know  -     -  you  want  to  do.     I  am  not  going  to  do 
I  had  intended  to  do. 

Write  three  sentences  using  who;  three,  using 
which;  three,  using  what. 

There  is  an  interesting  point  about  the  use  of  what. 
The  noun  or  pronoun  to  which  it  is  related  is  not  in  the 
sentence.  That  is,  what  does  double  duty;  it  acts 
in  two  clauses.  I  saw  what  the  man  had.  This  means, 
I  saw  the  thing  which  the  man  had.  The  dog  under- 
stood what  I  said.  The  dog  understood  the  words  which 
I  said.  What  does  double  duty  by  belonging  to  both 
clauses,  standing  for  the  noun  or  pronoun  in  one  clause, 
and  acting  as  the  pronoun  and  connecting  word  in  the 
other  clause. 

PUNCTUATION 

Write  five  sentences,  asking  friends  questions,  or 
telling  them  to  do  something.  Address  every  friend  by 
his  name.  Punctuate  correctly. 

Write  something  that  you  said  to  your  mother  this 
morning,  or  that  she  said  to  you.  Write  the  quotation 
in  two  parts. 

Write  the  date  of  today.  Write  the  heading  of  a 
letter  to  your  uncle.  Write  the  initials  of  three  persons 
that  you  know.  Write  five  abbreviations.  Write  a 
sentence  having  in  it  an  interjection.  After  every  sen- 
tence tell  why  you  have  punctuated  it  as  you  have. 

What  is  a  quotation1?  What  do  you  put  into  the 
heading  of  a  letter?  What  do  you  put  into  the  ending 


260  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

of  a  letter?     What  is  meant  by  initials'?     What  is  an 
abbreviation?     What  is  an  interjection? 

REVIEWS 

tfhere  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence  often  confuses 
children  about  the  verb  that  should  follow.  We  hear, 
''There's  my  two  brothers  coming  down  the  hill,"  in  place 
of  there  are,  etc.  To  get  rid  of  this  very  common  error 
write  ten  sentences  beginning  with  there  are.  Watch 
your  conversation  and  select  ten  more  sentences  where 
you  have  said  "there's"  in  place  of  there  are.  Correct 
them. 

Do  not  say  "you  was."  Write  ten  sentences  using 
you  were. 

Write  five  verbs  showing  action.  Modify  them  by 
adverbs.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  sentences  grow  by  this 
process. 

In  your  geography  and  science  lessons  find  ten  words 
that  you  understand  very  well.  See  if  you  can  use  in 
their  places  other  words  that  have  about  the  same  mean- 
ing. That  is,  use  synonyms. 

Use  these  phrases  in  sentences:  with  him  and  me; 
for  you  and  her;  between  him  and  her;  past  you  and  me; 
near  my  sister  and  me. 

Use  these  in  sentences :  it  is  I ;  it  is  he ;  it  is  you  and 
I;  it  is  he  and  I;  it  is  he  and  she;  it  is  we;  it  is  they. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  261 


PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

Read  a  story  in  one  of  your  books.  Find  out  why 
it  is  divided  into  paragraphs.  What  is  the  thought  in 
the  first  paragraph?  Is  there  one  general  thought  run- 
ning through  the  whole  paragraph?  Do  the  sentences, 
one  after  the  other,  build  up  this  thought?  Study  the 
first  five  paragraphs  in  this  way.  Write  the  subject  of 
every  paragraph,  making  an  outline. 

In  writing  your  papers  begin  a  new  paragraph  when- 
ever you  feel  that  you  have  written  all  that  you  have  to 
say  about  one  thought.  In  reading  over  your  paper  for 
correction  and  improvement  you  may  find  that  you  have 
put  a  sentence  into  one  paragraph  when  it  really  belongs 
in  another.  Put  it  into  the  one  where  it  fits  the  thought 
most  closely.  Many  writers  do  not  do  this  in  the  first 
writing,  but  it  is  easily  changed  when  the  paper  is  read 
over. 


COMPOSITION 

Find  a  picture  you  like  and  write  the  story  it 
suggests  to  you. 

Tell  how  some  article  of  food  is  produced.  This 
may  be  either  telling  how  something  is  planted  and 
grown,  as  potatoes,  blackberries  or  celery;  or  it  may  be  a 
description  of  how  something  is  prepared  for  the  table, 
as  a  dish  of  cranberries. 

Write  something  suggested  to  you  by  the  word 
doctor. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  263 

Does  some  incident  or  story  suggest  itself  to  you 
with  the  words,  as  the  train  -whizzed  past?  Write  it. 

Tell  about  some  child  with  whom  you  like  to  play 
or  visit.  Is  he  jolly*?  Is  he  good-natured?  Is  he 
thoughtful  about  your  pleasure?  Is  he  quarrelsome? 
Does  he  think  of  many  games?  Think  why  you  like  to 
be  together,  and  write  it  as  you  would  tell  some  child 
friend  about  it. 

Did  you  ever  build  a  fire  under  a  hillside  and  play 
that  you  were  camping  out?  Write  about  it,  or  about 
some  other  game  that  this  suggests  to  you. 

Think  about  some  house  that  you  like.  Is  it  large  or 
small?  Is  it  well  or  poorly  furnished?  Does  it  stand 
among  trees  and  bushes,  or  is  it  on  a  city  street?  Does 
it  seem  inviting  to  you?  Why,  or  why  not?  Picture 
this  house  in  your  mind  by  thinking  about  it  for  a  few 
moments,  perhaps  with  your  eyes  closed  so  as  to  keep 
out  all  other  thoughts.  Write  about  it,  trying  to  put  on 
paper  the  thoughts  that  are  in  your  mind.  Do  not  give 
dry  details  of  so  many  doors  and  so  many  windows,  but 
tell  what  you  like  or  dislike  about  this  house. 

Tell  a  Christmas  story.  If  it  is  a  reproduction  of 
one  you  have  read  or  heard,  it  may  be  so  long  that  it  will 
have  to  be  written  in  two  or  more  parts.  If  it  is  one  of 
your  own,  make  it  short.  You  will  make  a  short  story 
more  interesting  than  a  long  one. 

Look  at  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page.  The  man 
is  probably  a  French  peasant.  He  has  been  at  work  in 
the  field  all  day;  now,  he  is  going  home  at  night.  What 
is  he  carrying?  Are  his  tools  like  those  in  our  country? 
What  do  you  think  this  man  has  been  doing?  Is  he 


264  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

tired?  Why  do  you  think  so?  What  kind  of  shoes  is 
he  wearing?  Where  do  you  think  he  lives?  Notice 
how  the  big  tree  has  been  cut  back  for  firewood,  and  how 
the  new  branches  have  grown  out.  Tell  what  you  see 
in  this  picture,  or  imagine  a  story  about  this  man  going 
home  after  his  day's  work. 


FIFTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

PRONOUNS 

ADJECTIVES  IN  THE  PREDICATE 

COMMON  ERRORS 

PRONUNCIATION 

SIMPLE  SENTENCES 

SYNONYMS 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


266  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

Below  are  the  principal  parts  of  six  verbs.  By  this 
time  you  may  be  using  correctly  most  of  their  forms : 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

blow  blew  blowing  blown 

grow  grew  growing  grown 

know  knew  knowing  known 

throw  threw  throwing  thrown 

draw  drew  drawing  drawn 

fly  flew  flying  flown 

The  most  common  mistake  made  by  children  with 
these  verbs  is  saying  "has  blowed"  and  "has  growed"  in 
place  of  has  blown  and  has  grown.  Sometimes  one  hears 
"blowed,"  "knowed,  "drawed"  in  place  of  the  correct 
forms  of  the  past  tense. 

Think  of  two  sentences  for  every  past  tense.  Write 
one  of  them.  Make  one  sentence  for  every  past  par- 
ticiple. 

Conjugate  the  present  tense  of  blow,  throw  and 
know,  making  complete  sentences. 

Conjugate  the  future  tense  of  draw  and  grow, 
making  full  sentences,  as :  I  shall  draw  a  horse. 

CAN    AND    MAY 

The  study  of  may  and  can  was  begun  in  the  lower 
grades.  Some  of  you  may  have  learned  to  use  these 
verbs  well;  others  may  still  have  trouble  in  using 
them.  As  with  so  many  other  points  in  language,  there 
is  no  great  difficulty  here.  First,  understand  the  differ- 
ence between  the  two  words;  then  use  them  correctly; 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  267 

lastly,  remember  to  use  them  correctly  every  time  you 
use  them. 

Can  expresses  a  power  that  is  within  the  person  or 
thing  that  is  acting.  It  is  the  ability,  the  "know  how,"  to 
do  anything. 

I  can  spell  every  word  in  my  lesson.  I  can  walk  two 
miles  without  getting  tired.  I  can  walk  home  in  fifteen  minutes. 
My  mother  can  make  her  own  dresses. 

There  are  not  many  mistakes  made  in  the  use  of 
may;  but  can  is  often  used  in  place  of  may.  May 
means  that  some  one  has  given  you  permission  to  do 
something.  That  is,  power  to  do  it  has  come  from  out- 
side yourself.  In  the  following  sentences  some  one  be- 
sides the  speaker  has  to  be  consulted,  so  may  is  used: 

My  mother  says  that  I  may  go  home  with  you.  The  man 
says  that  we  may  have  all  this  wood.  Please,  may  I  go  to  the 
door?  Yes,  you  may  go. 

Write  five  sentences  using  may;  five  using  can. 

The  principal  mistake  in  the  use  of  the  verbs  in  the 
list  below  is  putting  the  past  tense  in  place  of  the  past 
participle;  as,  "I  have  broke  my  pencil."  Learn  the 
principal  parts: 


PRESENT 

PAST 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

PARTICIPLE 

steal 

stole 

stealing 

stolen 

break 

broke 

breaking 

broken 

speak 

spoke 

speaking 

spoken 

forget 

forgot 

forgetting 

forgotten 

get 

got 

getting 

got 

choose  chose  choosing  chosen 

Get  is  put  into  this  list  so  as  to  compare  it  with 


268  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

forget.  Get  formerly  had  gotten  in  the  past  participle, 
but  it  is  not  frequently  used  now.  The  principal  thing 
to  remember  about  this  verb  is  not  to  use  it  too  often; 
use  other  words  wherever  possible. 

Make  sentences  using  all  the  past  participles  in  the 
above  list. 

Conjugate  the  future  tense  of  steal;  of  break. 

Write  five  sentences  using  I  shall  or  we  shall  with 
any  of  the  verbs  given  above. 


PRONOUNS 

Write  three  sentences  using  those  in  place  of  the 
incorrect  use  of  "them";  write  three,  using  you  and  /, 
using  you  and  me,  or  some  other  pronoun  in  place  of  you. 
Write  three  sentences  using  he  and  she;  three,  using  him 
and  her.  Write  three  sentences  using  we  girls  or  we  boys 
as  subjects;  three,  using  us  girls  or  us  boys  as  objects. 

What  is  a  noun?  A  proper  noun?  A  common 
noun?  What  kind  of  a  word  may  take  the  place  of  a 
noun? 

What  is  a  pronoun  ? 


You  have  studied  about  personal  pronouns  used  as 

subjects,   as  possessive  modifiers  and  as  objects.     Now 

let  us  see  what  changes  there  are  in  the  relative  pronouns  :T 

NOMINATIVE  POSSESSIVE                          OBJECTIVE 

who  whose                           whom 

which  which 

that  that 

what  what 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  2&Q 

Notice  that  who  is  the  only  relative  pronoun  with  a 
possessive  form,  or  with  a  change  in  the  objective  case. 
Complete  the  following  sentences: 

The  lady  who . 


The  lady  whose  child 
The  lady  of  whom  — 


Use  in  sentences  these  phrases:  of  whom,  for  whom, 
with  whom,  of  which,  for  which. 

Write  three  sentences  about  persons,  using  the  pos- 
sessive form  whose.  These  nouns  may  suggest  sentences 
to  you :  uncle,  aunt,  conductor. 

Write  sentences  using  the  following  nouns,  putting 
who,  which,  that  or  what  into  every  sentence: 

carpet  postman  bicycle 

picture  spade  sidewalk 

street  lamp  thunderstorm 

Who,  which  and  what  are  often  used  in  asking 
questions.  Who  is  going?  Which  is  your  book?  What 
have  you  done?  They  are  then  no  longer  relative  pro- 
nouns, for  they  do  not  connect  a  clause  to  a  noun  or  a 
pronoun.  They  are  used  to  ask  questions;  and  they  are 
called  interrogative  pronouns.  There  is  little  for  you  to 
learn  about  them  except  that  the  same  word  may  be 
either  a  relative  or  an  interrogative  pronoun. 

Write  three  sentences  using  who  as  an  interrogative 
pronoun;  that  is,  to  ask  a  question. 

Write  three,  using  which  to  ask  a  question. 

Write  three,  using  what  to  ask  a  question. 

What  do  you  understand  by  an  interrogative  pro- 
noun? What  words  can  be  so  used? 


270  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

ADJECTIVES    IN    THE   PREDICATE 

The  lame  man.  The  sick  horse.  The  tall  boy. 
The  green  grass.  The  good  apple. 

What  part  of  speech  are  the  words  lame,  sick,  tall, 
green,  good?  They  modify,  or  tell  about,  the  nouns  that 
follow  them. 

We  are  not  obliged  to  put  adjectives  before  the 
nouns.  Indeed,  they  are  used  after  the  verbs  about  as 
many  times  as  they  are  used  before  the  nouns;  but  they 
can  not  be  used  with  all  verbs.  Let  us  find  some  of  the 
verbs  with  which  we  may  put  adjectives. 

The  man  is  lame.  The  man  feels  lame.  He  looks  lame. 
He  seems  lame.  He  is  becoming  lame.  He  appears  lame. 

The  apple  is  good.  The  apple  feels  good.  It  looks  good. 
It  seems  good.  It  is  becoming  good.  It  appears  good.  It 
tastes  good. 

Do  you  see  that  in  all  these  sentences  lame  and  good 
refer  to  the  nouns  man  and  apple  as  much  as  they  did  in 
the  short  expressions  above. 

The  following  are  the  verbs  that  may  be  used  with 
adjectives: 

feel  grow  become  taste 

look  appear  seem  be 

Use  each  of  the  verbs  given  above  in  a  sentence, 
putting  with  it  one  of  these  adjectives:  happy,  merry, 
rich,  tardy,  gentle,  difficult,  juicy,  stormy,  clear. 

Do  not  forget  that  the  verb  be  has  many  forms :  is, 
are,  am,  was,  were,  have  been,  lias  been,  had  been,  shall 
be,  will  be. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  271 


COMMON  ERRORS 

"Leave"  is  often  used  in  place  of  let;  as,  "he  will 
not  leave  me  go,"  for  he  will  not  let  me  go.  Leave 
means  to  go  away  from;  as,  I  am  leaving  New  York 
today.  It  means  also  not  to  take  with  one;  as,  I  am 
leaving  my  books  at  home.  Look  in  the  dictionary  for 
its  other  meanings.  In  the  sentence  "he  will  not  leave 
me  go,"  leave  is  intended  to  mean  permit,  give  leave  or 
permission;  but  it  does  not  express  this.  Use  let  for 
such  a  meaning;  as,  he  will  not  let  me  go. 

Collect  five  sentences  in  which  leave  is  used  incor- 
rectly for  let,  and  write  them  correctly. 


Pronounce  clearly  the  /  or  d  at  the  last  of  a  word 
before  beginning  another  word: 

can't  you  did  you  would  you 

don't  you  could  you  should  you 

won't  you  had  you  hundred     years 

Notice  your  own  speech  to  see  if  you  can  find  any 
similar  mispronunciations. 

SIMPLE    SENTENCES 

% 

The  wind  was  blowing.  This  is  a  simple  sentence, 
for  it  has  but  one  subject  and  one  verb.  The  simple 
sentences  that  we  have  been  studying  have  all  been  short; 
but  many  simple  sentences  are  long.  They  are  made 
long  by  adjectives,  adverbs  and  phrases.  They  should 
have,  however,  only  one  subject  and  one  predicate.  As 


272  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

soon  as  a  clause  appears  there  is  a  second  subject  and  a 
second  predicate,  and  then  there  is  a  compound  or  a  com- 
plex sentence.  Add  to  the  first  sentence  in  this  paragraph 
without  putting  any  clause  into  it;  that  is,  keep  it  a 
simple  sentence. 

The  cold  wind  from  the  north  was  blowing  fiercely 
all  day  and  all  night.  Diagram  this  sentence  so  as  to 
show  the  one  subject  and  one  predicate,  each  with  several 
modifiers.  Notice  how  and  is  written  between  all  day 
and  all  night  in  the  diagram  below : 

wind  |  was  blowing 

the  fiercely 

cold  all  day 

from  [  north  i  and 

the  all  night 

Make  the  following  simple  sentences  longer  by  using 
adjectives,  adverbs  or  participles,  but  keep  them  simple 
sentences : 

The  man  died.  The  man  did  not  speak  a  word.  Santa 
Claus  came  down  the  chimney.  The  little  girl  sat  down. 
Robinson  Crusoe  lived  on  an  island. 

In  some  of  the  sentences  given  above  use  these 
participles:  loaded,  wrecked,  turning,  starving. 

From  some  of  your  papers,  or  a  conversation,  take 
three  short,  simple  sentences.  See  if  you  can  add  words, 
phrases  or  participles  that  will  improve  their  meaning 
or  make  them  more  expressive. 

From  stories  in  any  of  your  books,  select  two  simple 
sentences  that  are  rather  long.  Examine  them  to  see 
what  has  been  added  to  the  simple  subject  and  simple 
verb. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  273 

A  beggar  was  standing  in  the  street.  A  rich  man  went 
past  him.  The  beggar  asked  for  a  penny.  The  rich  man  gave 
him  a  dime. 

In  his  rags ;  from  a  large  city ;  for  bread ;  in  his  furs ;  in 
his  hurry ;  in  his  pity ;  in  a  carriage  ;  on  the  corner.  Shivering ; 
sadly;  kind;  honest;  sympathetically. 

Rewrite  the  sentences  given  above  and  put  into  each 
as  many  of  the  prepositional  phrases  given  above  as  you 
can  without  making  the  sentence  awkward.  Put  in  some 
of  the  adjectives  and  adverbs.  Perhaps  you  can  think  of 
some  other  additions,  but  you  must  not  use  clauses.  Keep 
the  sentences  simple,  one  subject  and  one  predicate.  It  is 
remarkable  how  much  can  be  done  with  simple  sentences. 

Select  five  sentences  from  one  of  your  recent  papers 
and  see  if  you  can  add  to  their  beauty  and  meaning  by 
using  adjectives,  adverbs  or  prepositional  phrases.  Below 
is  a  list  of  prepositions  to  help  you  in  thinking  of  phrases. 
You  will  have  to  find  your  own  adjectives  and  adverbs  so 
that  they  will  fit  your  nouns  and  verbs. 

about  before  for 

above  behind  from 

across  beside  on 

after  over  past 

against  within  through 

There  are  many  more  prepositions.  Use  any  that 
you  know. 

What  is  a  preposition  ? 

SYNONYMS 

The  man  was  in  a  great  fury  when  he  struck  the  child. 
The  example  is  not  fully  explained.  We  had  a  long  conversa- 
tion. The  sky  is  covered  with  thick  clouds. 


274  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Take  your  dictionary  and  look  up  the  meanings 
given  for  the  italicized  words  in  these  sentences.  Re- 
write the  sentences,  putting  in  the  synonym  that  you  think 
best  expresses  the  meaning  of  the  italicized  word.  A 
synonym  is  a  word  that  has  almost  the  same  meaning  as 
another  word. 

Think  of  a  conversation  you  had  at  recess  or  noon, 
and  select  five  words  for  which  you  would  like  to  give 
synonyms.  Write  the  sentences  as  you  spoke  them  at' 
recess.  Rewrite  them,  using  synonyms. 

Give  at  least  one  synonym  for  each  of  these  words: 
looked,  asked,  helped,  worked,  wanted,  big,  awful,  hot, 
cool. 

You  will  soon  see  that  the  synonym  to  be  used  de- 
pends upon  the  meaning  in  that  particular  place.  Many 
times  there  is  no  exact  synonym,  for  no  other  word  has 
just  the  meaning  that  we  wish  to  express.  What  do  you 
understand  by  a  synonym?  What  difference  does  it  make 
to  your  language,  spoken  and  written,  if  you  know  many 
synonyms  and  their  exact  use?  What  difference  does  it 
make  if  you  do  not  know  the  exact  meanings  of  the  words 
that  you  are  using? 

COMPOSITION 

Imagine  your  doll  to  be  a  princess.  Write  the 
dreams  or  fancies  that  come  to  you  about  what  she  would 
do.  Imagine  yourself  to  be  a  prince ;  what  would  you  do? 

Tell  a  story  suggested  by  this  group  of  words:  bird, 
cat,  nest,  singing,  hunting. 

Write  a  letter  to  an  aunt,  or  some  other  relative, 


FROM  PAINTING  BY  DAGNAN-BOUVERET 

AT   THE    WATERING   TROUGH 


276  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

saying  that  you  are  coming  to  make  a  visit.  Make  this  a 
real  letter,  if  possible.  At  the  bottom,  write  the  address 
as  it  should  be  on  the  envelope. 

Tell  again  one  of  the  recent  lessons  that  has  specially 
interested  you. 

What  is  a  river?  Describe  one.  How  does  it  be- 
gin*? How  does  it  grow  larger?  Does  it  do  any  good? 
Does  it  do  any  damage?  Is  it  used  for  many  purposes? 
Tell  some  of  the  many  interesting  things  that  you  know 
about  rivers;  or,  better  still,  about  some  one  river.  Make 
it  as  much  of  a  story  as  you  like,  or  tell  it  in  any  other 
way  you  desire. 

Write  some  of  the  things  that  you  know  about  the 
postoffice.  Why  do  people  write  letters?  Where  do  the 
letters,  papers  and  packages  come  from?  How  are  they 
brought?  What  is  done  with  them?  Why  is  a  postoffice 
necessary? 

Write  some  of  the  thoughts  suggested  by  the  word 
flies. 

Look  at  the  picture,  "At  the  Watering  Trough,"  on 
the  preceding  page.  What  kind  of  work  do  you  think  this 
boy  can  do?  Does  he  like  his  horses?  Does  he  take  good 
care  of  them?  Does  he  look  well  and  healthy?  Imagine 
what  his  day's  work  has  probably  been,  and  write  about  it. 


SIXTH    MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF   SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Shine,  wind,  find,  bind 

NOUNS 

Singular  and  plural 

PRONOUNS 

Possessives 

ADJECTIVES 
ADVERBS 

PRESENT   PARTICIPLES 
Used  as  adjectives 

PUNCTUATION 
SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 
COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


278  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

VERBS 
USE    IN     SENTENCES 

Use  the  following  verbs  in  sentences  : 

saw  did  give  given  come  forgotten 

seen  done  gave  broken        came  written 

Do  not  use  such  an  incorrect  expression  as,  "Now, 
he's  went  and  done  it,"  or,  "Now,  he's  gone  and  done  it," 
for  the  correct  one,  Now  he's  done  it.  Do  went  and 
gone  have  any  real  use  in  these  sentences,  or  do  they 
add  any  thoughts?  If  you  are  using  them  incorrect!}, 
watch  your  conversation  closely  until  you  have  over- 
come this  mistake. 

Use  the  following  verbs  correctly : 

slide  slid  sliding  slid 

burst  burst  bursting  burst 

swing  swung  swinging  swung 

You  will  not  find  it  very  difficult  to  use  correctly 
the  verbs  given  above.  The  principal  thing  is  to  remem- 
ber that  "bust"  or  "busted"  should  never  be  used  for 
burst. 

Write  five  sentences  using  burst. 

Use  the  following  verbs  in  sentences : 

came  began  forgot  did  went 

come  begun  forgotten  done  gone 

Write  the  principal  parts  of  all  these  verbs. 

What  is  a  verb*?  Why  do  you  think  you  are  asked 
so  frequently  to  think  out  the  principal  parts  of  verbs? 
Why  should  you  know  them? 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  279 

PARTICIPLES8 

Review  what  is  said  about  participles  in  the  fourth 
month. 

The  boy  playing  on  the  lawn  is  attending  the  Lincoln 
school.  In  this  sentence  playing  is  a  participle;  but  it  is 
used  as  an  adjective,  telling  something  about  the  boy, 
and  it  introduces  the  words,  on  the  lawn. 

Do  you  see  that  using  participles  helps  you  to  make 
good  sentences'?  They  will  not  help  you,  however,  unless 
you  learn  to  use  them  in  speaking  and  writing.  Write 
five  sentences  using  the  following  participles  as  adjectives : 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLE  PAST  PARTICIPLE 

turning  forsaken 

visiting  washed 

looking  well  known 

playing 

singing 

towering 

rising 


NOUNS 
COMMON    AND    PROPER 

Write  the  names  of  ten  things  that  you  can  neither 
see  nor  hear,  but  that  you  know  exist.  There  are  many  of 
these  nouns,  although  you  may  not  have  thought  of  them. 
Patience,  love,  hearing,  are  examples.  He  has  a  great 
deal  of  patience.  I  can  feel  my  mother's  love  for  me. 
My  hearing  is  excellent. 

Write  the  names  of  ten  things  that  you  can  see.  Of 
ten  that  you  can  hear.  Of  ten  that  you  can  feel. 

Horse  and  Dick  are  both  names;  consequently,  they 


280  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

are  nouns.  What  is  the  difference  between  them*?  Will 
horse  apply  to  any  horse?  Will  Dick  apply  to  any  horse? 
What  kind  of  a  noun  is  horse?  What  kind  of  a  noun  is 
Dick? 

If  you  have  any  proper  nouns  in  your  list,  write 
them  in  a  column  by  themselves.  How  should  they  be 
commenced?  Why?  What  do  you  call  all  of  the  nouns 
that  are  left? 

What  is  a  proper  noun?    What  is  a  common  noun? 

POSSESSIVES 

Write  nine  common  nouns,  choosing  some  that  you 
have  not  used  recently.  Write  the  possessive  singular  and 
the  possessive  plural  of  these  nouns. 

Write  the  names  of  nine  persons  that  you  know. 
Write  their  initials.  Write  the  names  in  the  possessive 
case,  using  first  only  the  first  name,  then  using  the  whole 
name. 

COMMON  ERRORS 

Notice  your  own  speech  and  that  of  others.  See  if 
you  can  find  ten  sentences  where  "them"  is  used  in  place 
of  those;  as,  "hand  me  them  rubbers";  "give  me  them 
books."  Write  these  sentences  correctly.  Write  five  sen- 
tences using  those. 

Remember  that  good  is  an  adjective,  well  is  an  ad- 
verb. If  we  say,  she  writes  well,  we  have  used  the  adverb 
correctly,  for  it  tells  how  she  writes ;  that  is,  well  modifies 
the  verb  writes. 

Write  five  sentences  using  well  as  an  adverb. 

Write  five  sentences  using  good  as  an  adjective. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  281 


SYNONYMS 

Use  the  following  words  in  sentences,  then  find 
synonyms  to  put  into  their  places:  silence,  river,  gather- 
ing, real,  choose,  pain. 

Select  five  words  from  your  own  conversation  that 
you  would  like  to  replace  with  synonyms.  Look  them  up 
in  the  dictionary,  and  use  their  synonyms  in  sentences. 


PREPOSITIONS 

In  order  not  to  make  mistakes  every  one  should  be 
thoughtful  about  his  language,  until  he  has  learned  to 
speak  correctly  without  hesitation.  Through  training,  the 
correct  form  comes  naturally  to  the  lips.  A  large  num- 
ber of  our  mistakes  are  in  little  words  and  expressions. 
Unimportant  as  prepositions  seem  in  our  sentences,  they 
are  often  used  incorrectly. 

Many  mistakes  are  made  in  using  to  and  at,  so  let  us 
study  them  again.  We  often  hear  the  expression,  "my 
book  is  to  home" ;  or,  "he  is  to  school."  We  should  say, 
my  book  is  at  home;  he  is  at  school.  Remember  that  to 
is  used  when  we  are  talking  about  motion  towards  a  place 
or  an  object.  At  means  being  in  a  certain  place.  Notice 
the  following: 

He  is  going  to  school.  He  is  at  school.  When  we  are  in 
the  city  we  go  to  the  Union  Hotel.  Our  friends  are  staying  at 
the  Union  Hotel.  Why  are  you  staying  at  home  this  week? 


282  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Use  the  following  in  sentences : 

to  school  at  school 

to  church  at  church 

to  the  park  in  the  park 

to  the  ball  game  at  the  ball  game 

You  have  been  trying  to  learn  the  difference  between 
like,  the  preposition,  and  as  if,  the  conjunction.  You 
know  like,  a  preposition,  takes  a  noun  or  a  pronoun  as  an 
object.  As  if,  a  conjunction,  begins  a  clause.  Here  are  a 
few  sentences  with  like  and  as  if: 

It  looks  like  rain.    It  looks  as  if  it  will  rain. 

It  looks  like  a  storm.    It  looks  as  if  there  will  be  a  storm. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  like.  Watch  yourself  and 
others  (especially  yourself)  for  several  days,  to  see  if  you 
use  like  for  as  if.  This  mistake,  like  all  others,  should 
disappear  from  your  language  when  you  know  what 
correct  expression  to  use  in  its  place. 

Use  these  prepositions  in  sentences,  making  at  least 
two  sentences  for  every  preposition:  in,  into;  beside, 
besides. 


REVIEWS 

Write  a  conversation  that  you  have  heard  on  the 
playground.  Were  there  any  interjections  in  it?  Do  not 
forget  the  quotation  marks.  Were  there  any  broken  quo- 
tations? Were  there  any  clauses  in  this  conversation? 
Were  they  begun  with  who,  which,  that;  or  while,  be- 
cause, if? 

Use  in  sentences,  of  whom,  for  whom,  with  whom, 
near  whom;  whom  I  saw,  whom  you  know,  whom  we  met. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  283 

Use  in  sentences,  I  shall  want,  we  shall  go,  I  shall 
pick. 

Read  over  the  first  five  sentences  in  any  story.  Are 
they  declarative,  interrogative,  exclamatory  or  impera- 
tive? 

What  do  you  understand  by  a  declarative  sentence? 
an  interrogative  sentence?  an  exclamatory  sentence?  an 
imperative  sentence? 

PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

Look  at  some  page  in  your  arithmetic.  How  is  it 
paragraphed?  Is  it  easy  to  see  why  these  divisions  are 
made?  It  is  the  same  reason  as  in  any  writing,  but  it  is 
easier  to  see  the  change  of  thought  in  arithmetic  than  in 
a  story. 

Take  some  subject  for  a  paper.  Think  what  you 
wish  to  say  on  it.  Write  down  the  headings  of  these 
thoughts.  Are  they  the  headings  of  your  paragraphs?  It 
is  very  probable  that  they  are,  although  some  headings 
may  suggest  thoughts  enough  for  two  or  more  paragraphs. 
You  may  not  know  anything  about  the  Sacramento  River, 
but  the  following  outline  on  it  will  suggest  to  you  how 
you  can  make  an  outline  about  some  river  or  lake  that 
you  know : 

The  Sacramento  River 

Size  and  importance  at  Sacramento 
The  trip  to  San  Francisco  by  river 
Overflows  in  the  spring 

There  may  be  much  more  that  you  would  like  to 
write,  but  here  is  enough  for  one  paper.  There  are  three 


284  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

thoughts  in  this  little  outline;  and  this  should  mean  that 
there  will  be  three  paragraphs  in  your  paper.  Make  your 
outline  fuller,  if  you  wish  to,  by  writing  under  each  head- 
ing some  of  the  related  thoughts  that  go  into  the  para- 
graph, as: 

The  Sacramento  River 

Size  and  importance  at  Sacramento 

Width 

Boats  on  it 

Steamboats,  sailboats,  barges 

Boats  able  to  go  up  and  down  the  river  from  Sacra 
mento 

Bridges 
Trip  to  San  Francisco 

Time  taken  to  go  by  steamboat 

Number  of  boats  making  the  trip 
Overflows  in  the  spring 

Reason  for  overflows 

When  they  usually  come 

Protection  by  levees 

Land  often  flooded 

A  minor  heading  may  be  the  thought  that  goes  into 
one  sentence;  or  it  may  be  a  suggestion  for  two  or  three 
sentences.  Indeed,  there  may  be  so  much  to  say  about 
some  of  these  second  headings  that  a  new  paragraph 
should  be  made.  It  may  be  that  protection  by  levees  and 
land  often  flooded  will  arouse  so  much  thought  that  each 
should  have  a  separate  paragraph.  The  writer  may  not 
see  that  another  paragraph  is  needed  until  after  the  first 
writing  is  finished.  If  that  happens,  it  is  very  easy  in  the 
rewriting  to  put  such  thoughts  into  a  paragraph  by 
themselves. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  285 

Make  an  outline  of  some  subject  that  you  are  going 
to  write  on  and  see  how  much  it  helps  you  in  writing  a 
good  paper.  Do  not  follow  your  outline  stiffly;  write 
freely,  but  keep  to  the  general  thought  that  you  have  put 
into  the  outline.9 


COMPOSITION 

What  are  some  of  the  thoughts  that  come  to  you 
with  the  words,  as  strong  as  a  giant?  Write  them, 
whether  it  is  a  story,  an  incident  or  an  imagination. 

Did  you  ever  visit  a  Chinese  laundry?  Tell  some 
of  the  things  you  have  seen  or  know  about  one.  Did  you 
ever  stand  near  the  door  and  watch  what  was  going  on 
inside*?  Write  what  you  have  seen  or  what  you  know. 

If  you  know  nothing  about  a  laundry,  tell  about  a 
washday  at  home. 

Did  you  ever  watch  a  humming  bird?  What  does 
it  do  when  it  goes  to  the  flowers?  How  can  it  keep  so 
still  over  a  flower  with  nothing  to  stand  on?  Why  does 
it  visit  so  many  flowers?  Did  you  ever  see  its  nest  and 
eggs?  Write  about  a  humming  bird,  or  some  other  kind 
of  bird. 

Write  a  note  to  a  school  friend,  asking  him  to  spend 
Saturday  afternoon  with  you.  What  do  you  intend  to 
do?  How  early  is  he  to  come?  Is  he  to  bring  anything 
with  him?  Is  he  to  stay  for  dinner?  Is  he  expected  to 
go  home  at  a  certain  time?  If  so,  how  can  you  tell  him 
courteously? 

Select  some  picture  that  you  enjoy  and  write  the 
thoughts  or  the  story  suggested  by  it. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  287 

What  happened  one  day  up  in  the  attic?  Write  it. 
If  you  haven't  an  attic,  tell  what  happened  in  the  barn, 
or  anywhere  else. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  the  picture  of  a  sleeping  boy. 
Why  are  the  animals  crowding  around  him?  What  do 
they  want?  What  time  of  day  do  you  think  it  is?  What 
will  the  boy  have  to  do  as  soon  as  he  wakes  up?  Do  you 
think  that  he  will  sleep  much  longer?  Why  not?  What 
may  awaken  him?  Write  a  paper  on  what  you  can  see 
in  this  picture  and  what  it  tells  you  about  the  boy  and 
his  life. 


SEVENTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 
PRONUNCIATION 

PUNCTUATION 

COMMON  ERRORS 

PRONOUNS 

INTERJECTIONS 

ADJECTIVES 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  289 


VERBS 

The  common  mistake  in  using  the  verbs  in  the  list 
below  is  putting  the  past  tense  in  place  of  the  past  parti- 
ciple, as :  "I  have  drove,"  for  /  have  driven;  "he  has  rode," 
instead  of  he  has  ridden.  If  you  do  not  know  the  follow- 
ing principal  parts  learn  them  thoroughly : 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

write  wrote  writing  written 

ride  rode  riding  ridden 

drive  drove  driving  driven 

rise  rose  rising  risen 

break  broke  breaking  broken 

Use  each  past  participle  in  the  above  list  in  five 
short  sentences. 

Conjugate  in  the  present  perfect  or  past  perfect  tense 
the  five  verbs  given  above,  making  complete  sentences,  as : 
I  have  written  my  lesson. 

ran  grew  blew  written         ate 

run  grown  blown  broken          eaten 

Write  the  principal  parts  of  all  the  verbs  given 
above. 

Write  the  present  perfect  tense  of  eat,  blow,  run,  as : 
I  have  eaten  my  lunch. 

,  Write  the  future  tense  of  any  two  of  these  verbs,  as : 
I  shall  grow  fast. 

Write  three  sentences  not  in  your  conjugation,  using 
I  shall  or  we  shall  with  any  of  the  verbs  given  above. 


290  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PRONUNCIATION10 

The  following  words  are  often  run  together  in  pro- 
nunciation : 

can't  you  (cantchew) 

don't  you 

won't  you 

would  you 

put  you 

did  you  (did  jew) 

so  long  (slong) 

There  are  many  of  these  incorrect  pronunciations. 
To  correct  them,  pronounce  each  word  distinctly. 

Many  words  are  mispronounced  by  reversing  let- 
ters, as: 

hun  dred     (not  hun  derd)     chil  dren      (not  chil  dern) 
vi  o  let        (not  voi  let)          vi  o  lent       (not  voi  lent) 

Pronounce  words  like  those  given  above  according  to 
the  spelling.  Writing  such  words  in  syllables  and  say- 
ing them  slowly  will  correct  the  error  easily  and  quickly. 
It  is  another  of  the  many  instances  in  language  where  you 
can  easily  correct  a  mistake  if  you  know  the  right  form 
and  remember  to  use  it.  There  is  no  difficulty;  there  is 
little  to  learn.  To  see  and  to  do  is  all  that  is  necessary. 

Can  you  find  any  such  mispronunciations  in  your 
own  language?  If  so,  write  them  correctly  in  a  column, 
saying  them  to  yourself  as  you  write. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  291 


REVIEWS 

Write  sentences  to  illustrate  all  the  uses  that  you 
know  for  the  period;  for  the  exclamation  point. 

Tell  in  your  own  words  why  you  use  these  marks 
in  the  sentences  you  have  written.  That  is,  make  your 
own  rule  for  your  use  of  a  punctuation  mark. 


Have  you  corrected  the  use  of  "he  don't"  for  he 
doesn't?  That  is,  have  you  fixed  in  your  mind  the  use 
of  the  third  person  singular  of  the  verb  do? 

I  do  we  do  I  do  not  we  do  not 

thou  dost         you  do  thou  dost  not       you  do  not 

he  does  they  do          he  does  not          they  do  not 

What  is  the  contraction  for  each  of  these  forms? 

'Write  five  sentences  using  lie  or  she  doesn't.  Write 
rive  about  your  father,  mother  or  some  other  relative, 
using  doesn't. 

Many  persons  use  pronouns  so  loosely  that  it  is  al- 
most impossible  to  tell  what  noun  is  referred  to.  As  a 
result,  the  meaning  is  not  clear.  Notice  this  sentence: 
"The  farmer  told  his  neighbor  that  his  dog  had  bitten  his 
sheep,  and  that  it  was  only  fair  that  he  should  pay  him 
for  his  loss."  Rewrite  this  sentence,  using  the  nouns  and 
pronouns  so  as  to  make  the  meaning  perfectly  clear. 

Find  some  of  your  weak  uses  of  pronouns,  either  by 
looking  over  one  or  two  recent  papers,  or  by  watching 
carefully  your  conversation  with  some  one.  To  correct 


292  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

thoughtfully  five  of  your  own  mistakes  is  better  than 
to  rewrite  fifteen  sentences  like  the  one  on  page  291. 


INTERJECTIONS 

Sometimes  a  feeling  or  an  emotion  is  so  strong  that 
we  cry  out.  There  is  no  sentence;  a  word  is  all  that  we 
can  say.  The  reason  may  be  pain  or  joy,  suffering  or 
happiness;  but  the  expression  of  it  is  given  in  a  word 
or  two. 

Oh!  Hurrah!  Help!  O  dear!    Well! 

These  words,  and  many  more  like  them,  are  called 
interjections.  Interjections  are  thrown  into  sentences. 
They  have  no  close  connection  with  any  other  word.  If 
they  are  cut  off  sharply  from  all  other  words,  they  are 
followed  by  an  exclamation  point;  but  if  they  are  part 
of  a  sentence,  all  of  which  is  an  exclamation  of  surprise, 
a  comma  is  enough  to  set  them  off. 

Well !   When  did  you  come  to  town  ? 
Well,  I  am  glad  to  see  you ! 

How  would  you  speak  the  last  two  sentences'?  Do 
you  give  the  same  tone  to  well  in  both  *? 

Hurrah,  the  troops  are  coming! 

Hurrah!    Hurrah!    The  troops  are  coming! 

All  of  the  first  sentence  is  exclamatory.  All  of  it  is 
a  cry  of  pleasure,  of  interest.  The  exclamation  point  is, 
therefore,  put  at  the  end  of  the  sentence,  and  the  inter- 
jection, hurrah^  is  set  off  by  a  comma. 

In  the  second  sentence,  hurrah  is  twice  a  cry  of  pleas- 
ure. *fhe  troops  are  coming  is  separated  from  the  cry. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  293 

Consequently,  there  are  three  exclamation  points  in  this 
sentence,  for  there  are  really  three  cries.  Each  one  is  an 
exclamation;  and  two  of  them  are  interjections  only, 
Hurrah !  Hurrah ! 

Use  these  interjections  in  sentences,  punctuating 
them  according  to  the  meaning:  What!  Fudge!  Gra- 
cious !  Look !  O  see ! 

Think  of  five  interjections  that  you  see  or  hear  and 
put  them  into  sentences. 

The  principal  thing  to  remember  about  interjections 
is  how  to  punctuate  them.  Follow  the  rule  given  above 
and  you  will  seldom  go  far  wrong. 

In  a  diagram  the  interjection  stands  at  one  side. 
That  is  really  what  it  does  in  the  sentence  when  spoken 
or  written,  and  it  is  diagramed  in  the  same  way. 

Hurrah 

troops         are  coming 
the 

What  kind  of  feeling  is  expressed  by  an  interjec- 
tion? What  do  you  understand  by  an  interjection?  Is 
an  interjection  connected  closely  with  the  rest  of  a 
sentence  ? 


ADJECTIVES 
Find  adjectives  to  describe  the  following  nouns: 

city  ship  canary 

hand  post  river 

overcoat  sky  ocean 

Use  a  prepositional  phrase  to  describe  each  of  these 


294  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

nouns;    as,  a  hand  without  a  ring.     Here  is  a  list  of 
prepositions  that  may  be  helpful : 

against  without  behind 

from  between  toward 

above  across  in 

over  beneath  with 

Use  a  participial  phrase  to  describe  each  noun  given 
in  the  list  on  page  293;  as,  an  overcoat  hanging  behind 
the  door.  Here  are  some  participles  that  may  be  helpful, 
but  use  any  others  that  you  wish: 

hanging  standing  lying 

growing  holding  looking 

singing  flying  coming 

Make  a  list  of  five  adjectives  that  you  have  read  or 
heard,  and  that  you  would  like  to  use.  Write  sentences  in 
which  you  put  these  adjectives  after  the  verbs  instead  of 
before  the  nouns.  Remember  that  you  can  use  adjectives 
in  this  way  with  any  form  of  the  verbs  be,  grow,  feel, 
look,  seem,  become,  appear. 

One  may  say:  a  beautiful  city;  the  city  is  growing 
beautiful ;  the  city  grows  beautiful ;  the  city  looks  beauti- 
ful; the  city  is  becoming  beautiful;  or  the  city  appears 
beautiful.  Why  is  beautiful  an  adjective  in  all  these  sen- 
tences'? Does  it  describe  city? 

In,  "The  city  is  growing  beautifully,"  is  beautifully 
an  adjective  or  an  adverb?  Does  it  describe  the  city,  or 
does  it  tell  how  the  city  is  growing? 

These  sentences  are  easy,  but  do  you  see  that  with 
these  verbs  it  may  often  be  difficult  to  tell  whether  to  use 
an  adjective  or  an  adverb?  If  you  give  many  easy  sen- 
tences, however,  using  adjectives  and  adverbs  correctly, 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  295 

you  may  escape  the  difficulties  that  some  persons  have  in 
knowing  whether  to  use  adjectives  or  adverbs  with  such 
verbs. 

The  boy  looks  sick.    The  boy  appears  sick. 

How  does  the  boy  look?  At  first  glance  it  seems  as 
if  sick  answers  this  question.  But  think  a  moment.  He 
looks  with  his  eyes ;  and  sick  certainly  does  not  tell  how  he 
looks  with  his  eyes.  Sharply,  keenly,  quickly  might  tell 
that.  Sick  describes  the  boy,  his  appearance,  his  looks. 
You  see  that  you  can  use  both  adjectives  and  adverbs  with 
these  seven  verbs;  but  you  must  know  when  to  use  the 
one  part  of  speech  and  when  to  use  the  other. 

Write  two  sentences  for  each  verb,  using  adjectives. 
Do  not  use,  "I  feel  badly,"  for  I  feel  bad.  It  is  still  better 
to  say,  I  feel  sick,  or,  I  feel  ill. 


COMPOSITION 

Have  you  a  dog?  Are  there  any  games  that  you 
play  with  him?  Dog  friends  often  seem  almost  like 
human  friends.  Tell  about  your  friendship  and  games 
with  your  dog  as  you  would  about  those  with  some  child 
friend. 

Have  you  read  any  good  stories  about  dogs?  Do 
you  know  anything  about  the  dogs  of  Holland?  Or  the 
big  St.  Bernard  dogs?  Or  the  dog  teams  in  Alaska  and 
other  Arctic  regions?  Tell  about  some  of  these. 

How  do  you  play  baseball?  Describe  the  game  as 
well  as  you  can,  so  that  any  one  can  get  a  good  idea  of 
it  even  if  he  has  never  seen  a  game.  Or  describe  some 
other  game  that  you  know  well. 


LEROLLE 


BY  THE   RIVERSIDE 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  297 

What  story  can  you  imagine  from  these  words: 
smoke,  parrot,  frightened,  screaming,  fire  engine*? 

Write  a  letter  to  a  friend,  telling  what  you  did  at 
night  on  the  sleeping-car,  or  on  a  steamer.  Did  you  ever 
camp  out  for  a  night?  Tell  about  it,  or  about  a  night  in 
some  strange  place.  Put  the  address  of  the  friend  to 
whom  your  letter  is  written  at  the  bottom  of  the  page. 

Write  a  letter  about  going  shopping  one  day  in  a  big 
city  store. 

Did  you  ever  watch  an  ant  hill?  How  does  it  look? 
What  do  the  ants  seem  to  be  doing?  Do  you  know  how 
they  live?  What  do  they  eat?  Did  you  ever  see  them 
carrying  food?  What  is  it?  What  do  they  do  with  it? 
There  are  many  interesting  things  about  ants;  can  you 
tell  any  of  them? 

On  the  opposite  page  is  a  picture  that  suggests  an 
interesting  story.  Perhaps  the  two  women  are  walking 
home  after  visiting  a  friend.  The  road  is  by  the  side  of 
a  river,  and  great  trees  shade  it  here  and  there.  The  coun- 
try must  be  beautiful  with  its  wide  river,  big  trees  and 
distant  hills.  Imagine  a  story  about  this  scene,  and 
write  it. 


EIGHTH  MONTH 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 


VERBS 

Learn  and  teach 
Participles 

SYNONYMS 

QUOTATIONS 

ABBREVIATIONS 

SENTENCE  STRUCTURE 

COMMON  ERRORS 

INTERJECTIONS 

NOMINATIVE  PRONOUNS 

REVIEWS 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  299 


VERBS 

LEARN   AND   TEACH 

Children  and  uneducated  persons  often  use  learn  for 
teach.  They  say,  "He  learned  me  how  to  splice  ropes," 
in  place  of,  he  taught  me  how  to  splice  ropes.  We  learn 
by  our  own  efforts;  no  one  can  learn  for  us,  nor  can  he 
learn  us.  He  can  teach  us.  Learn  means  to  acquire  or 
to  get,  usually  by  some  effort  of  the  mind,  fe&ck  means 
to  give  instruction,  to  show  how.  What  we  get  for  our- 
selves we  learn.  If  some  one  gives  us  instruction,  he 
teaches  us. 

I  am  learning  geography.  He  is  learning  geography. 
The  teacher  is  teaching  us  geography.  The  boy  is  teaching  his 
brother  to  skate. 

Write  ten  sentences  using  teach.  Write  five  sen- 
tences telling  things  that  you  are  teaching  to  others. 
Write  five  sentences  telling  something  that  you  are  learn- 
ing. 

PARTICIPLES 

In  studying  verbs  you  find  that  some  of  them  need 
objects  to  complete  their  meaning,  while  others  do  not 
need  objects.  Sometimes  a  verb  that  can  take  an  object 
does  not  do  so.  We  say,  "My  brother  drives'''  We  know 
that  this  means  he  goes  out  driving,  or  that  he  knows  how 
to  drive.  We  say,  "My  brother  drives  two  horses"  In 
this  sentence  drives  takes  an  object  and  we  know  what  he 
drives.  Let  us  use  the  present  participle  of  this  verb,  and 
see  what  we  can  do  with  it. 


300  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

The  man  is  driving.  In  this  sentence  driving  is  a 
part  of  the  verb. 

Driving  is  a  pleasant  exercise.  In  this  sentence 
driving  is  used  as  a  noun. 

A  driving  rainstorm  set  in.  Here  driving  is  an  ad- 
jective. 

Driving  may  have  an  object  and  still  play  the  part 
of  a  noun.  That  is,  it  may  be  partly  a  verb  and  partly  a 
noun,  as :  Driving  horses  is  a  pleasant  exercise.  What  is 
a  pleasant  exercise?  It  is  not  driving;  it  is  driving  horses. 
Driving  pigs  is  exasperating.  It  is  not  the  driving  that 
is  exasperating;  it  is  driving  pigs. 

See  if  you  can  use  in  these  different  ways  the  verbs, 
drinking,  blowing,  riding,  running. 

Put  running  into  the  blanks  in  the  following  sen- 
tences, and  think  whether  it  is  used  as  a  verb,  as  a  noun, 
or  as  an  adjective: 

The  boy  is . is  one  of  our  games.     There  is 

a stream  in  the  forest. 


In  this  sentence  running  takes  an  object:  Running 
races  is  one  of  our  games. 

Use  drinking  as  a  verb,  as  a  noun  and  as  an  adjec- 
tive. Then  use  drinking  coffee  in  a  sentence.  That  is, 
give  drinking  an  object  and  use  it  partly  as  a  verb  and 
partly  as  a  noun. 

Use  bio-wing  as  a  verb,  as  a  noun  and  as  an  adjective. 
Then  use  blowing  soap  bubbles  as  the  subject  of  a 
sentence. 

Use  riding  as  a  verb,  as  a  noun  and  as  an  adjective. 
Then  use  riding  a  horse  as  the  subject  of  a  sentence. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  301 


REVIEWS 

Use  the  following  words  in  sentences,  and  then  put 
synonyms  into  their  places:  gain  (as  a  noun),  help,  high, 
lazy,  lively,  mad,  lucky,  cost. 

Choose  five  words  from  your  speech;  find  synonyms 
for  them ;  then  remember  to  use  the  new  words  as  well  as 
those  to  which  you  are  more  accustomed.  Be  careful  to 
get  the  exact  meaning  of  the  words  used. 


Punctuate  the  following  sentences  and  use  the  quo- 
tation marks  wherever  they  are  required : 

Mary  said  John  have  you  ever  been  to  Chicago 
My  mother  told  me  that  the  apple  trees  were  just  be- 
ginning to  blossom 

This  is  a  terrible  snow  storm  father  said  as  he  came  into 
the  house  You  had  better  build  up  the  fire  and  see  that  the 
windows  are  all  shut  tight 

Write  three  broken  quotations,  putting  an  interjec- 
tion into  one  of  them.  An  easy  way  to  get  quotations 
is  to  listen  to  what  some  one  is  saying  and  write  it  down, 
using  the  name  of  the  speaker.  By  this  means  you  get 
natural  sentences. 

Learn  the  following  abbreviations: 

bushel  bu. 

ounce  oz. 

pound  lb. 

ton  T. 

answer  ans. 

pair  pr. 

paid  pd. 


302  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

From  one  of  your  recent  papers  select  five  sentences 
that  you  think  you  can  improve.  Put  in  adverbs  that 
fit  the  verbs,  and  adjectives  that  fit  the  nouns.  Use  a 
present  participle  followed  by  other  words;  as,  standing 
in  a  corner.  Use  a  clause  commencing  with  who,  which 
or  that,  to  tell  something  about  one  of  the  nouns.  Be 
sure  that  whatever  you  put  in  has  a  real  value  in  the 
sentence.  It  is  no  improvement  to  put  in  words  or 
phrases  that  add  nothing  to  the  thought  or  meaning. 

It  is  strange  how  many  little  mistakes  cling  to  our 
language  long  after  we  have  learned  that  they  are  mis- 
takes. Many  persons  who  know  correct  forms  use  very 
poor  English,  because  they  are  too  negligent  to  make  the 
necessary  changes.  Then,  when  they  go  among  cultured 
persons,  who  take  pride  in  their  language,  they  realize 
with  chagrin  how  strong  upon  them  is  the  habit  of  using 
the  absurd,  incorrect  expressions  of  children  and  ignorant 
persons.  It  is  easy  to  speak  correctly  if  we  make  the 
effort  to  do  so. 

You  are  all  familiar  with  the  mistakes  given  below, 
even  if  you  are  not  using  any  of  them  yourself.  If  they 
still  cling  to  your  speech,  correct  them.  Do  not  say : 

"I  ain't  a  going,"  for  I'm  not  going.  "She  ain't  got  no 
book,"  for  she  has  no  book,  or  she  hasn't  a  book.  "I  never 
said  so,"  for  I  didn't  say  so.  "I  never  done  it,"  for  I  didn't 
do  it.  "I  never  seen  him,"  for  I  haven't  seen  him.  "I  never 
said  nuthin',"  for  I  didn't  say  anything,  or  I  said  nothing. 
"He  don't  know  nuthin',"  for  he  doesn't  know  anything. 
"There's  three  boys,"  or  "They's  three  boys,"  for  there  are 
three  boys.  "There  was  five  horses  burned,"  or  "They  was 
five  horses  burned,"  for  there  were  five  horses  burned.  "You 
seen  it,"  for  you  saw  it. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  303 

You  may  not  be  making  all,  or  even  any,  of  these 
mistakes  now;  but  if  you  are,  notice  several  sentences  in 
which  you  use  wrong  expressions,  and  write  the  correct 
form  for  each  one. 


Write  three  sentences  using  Oh.  Write  three  using 
O.  Oh  is  an  interjection.  It  is  the  word  that  children 
cry  out  so  frequently,  and  that  is  sometimes  put  at  the 
beginning  of  a  sentence.  It  is  followed  by  a  comma  or 
by  an  exclamation  point,  according  to  the  intensity  of  the 
feeling.  Great  feeling  requires  the  use  of  an  exclamation 
point  after  the  interjection,  as:  Oh!  you  hurt  me!  If 
the  feeling  is  not  so  strong,  the  exclamation  point  is  put 
at  the  end  of  the  sentence,  as:  Oh,  yes,  I'll  go  too! 

0  is  part  of  an  exclamation.  It  is  used  with  other 
words,  and  it  is  not  set  off  by  a  comma  or  an  exclamation 
point,  as: 

O  dear  me,  who  said  I  counted  wrong? 
O  if  I  could  only  go! 


Use  the  following  italicized  words  in  short  sentences 
of  your  own,  then  put  synonyms  into  their  places: 

The  man  shouted,  "A  fire !  a  fire !"  My  mother  arrived 
at  five  in  the  afternoon.  There  is  a  concealed  meaning  in 
these  words.  The  train  moved  rapidly  toward  the  West 

Have  you  changed  the  meaning  at  all  by  using 
synonyms'?  It  is  very  difficult  to  find  two  words  with 
the  same  meaning. 

Select  five  more  words  that  you  would  like  to  use 


304  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

in  the  same  way.  First  put  them  into  sentences,  then 
think  of  synonyms  for  them. 

Use  those  in  five  sentences.  Use  it  where  you 
might  make  the  mistake  of  saying  "them";  as,  "them 
boys." 

Use  his,  hers,  theirs,  ours,  in  sentences. 

Use  he  and  I,  you  and  I,  she  and  I,  Mollie  and  I, 
in  sentences. 

Use  of  whom,  for  whom,  from  whom,  about  whom, 
in  sentences. 

What  four  forms  of  a  verb,  taken  together,  are 
known  as  the  "principal  parts"  ? 

NOMINATIVE    PRONOUNS 

Write  five  sentences  and  use  we  boys  for  the  subject 
of  each.  Write  five  sentences  and  use  we  girls  for  the 
subject;  as,  we  girls  will  clear  out  the  desks.  Use  we 
girls  in  five  sentences  as  an  answer  to  a  question,  as: 
Who  upset  the  basket?  We  girls. 

Why  is  we  girls  used  instead  of  us  girls? 

Use  these  pronouns  as  subjects:  he  and  I,  you  and 
he,  you  and  she,  she  and  I,  he  and  they,  you  and  I. 

Where  you  mention  two  or  more  persons  in  a  sen- 
tence, one  of  them  being  yourself,  where  do  you  put  the 
pronoun  I?  Do  you  say:  you  and  I,  or  I  and  you?  Do 
you  say,  he  and  I,  or  I  and  he?  Why? 

If  you  speak  to  some  one  about  himself  and  some 
one  else,  which  person  do  you  put  first?  That  is,  do 
you  say:  he  and  you,  or  you  and  he?  Tou  and  she,  or 
she  and  you?  Why? 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  305 

No  matter  of  how  many  we  are  speaking,  we  put 
ourselves,  J  or  we,  at  the  last.  That  is  courtesy.  For 
the  same  reason  you  always  comes  before  /,  he,  she  or 
any  one's  name. 

PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

Read  over  one  of  your  recent  papers  to  see  if  you 
can  improve  the  paragraphs.  Have  you  put  into  any 
paragraph  thoughts  that  belong  in  another,  or  that 
should  be  in  a  paragraph  by  themselves? 

Have  you  left  any  paragraph  unfinished?  That  is, 
have  you  left  out  some  thought  that  should  be  in  it  to 
round  out  its  meaning?  If  so,  put  it  in. 

Perhaps  you  have  put  near  the  end  of  a  paragraph 
a  thought  that  belonged  near  the  beginning.  If  so,  put 
the  sentence  where  it  belongs. 

In  working  over  a  paragraph  remember  two  things: 
Have  only  one  general  thought  in  it.  Develop  this 
main  thought  gradually  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  paragraph. 

COMPOSITION 

Write  a  letter  to  a  child  friend,  telling  something 
you  did  while  visiting  on  a  ranch  or  a  farm.  Write 
the  address  at  the  bottom  of  the  letter. 

Write  a  note  to  a  friend  inviting  him  to  a  party  at 
your  home.  Tell  him  when  to  come,  how  long  the  party 
is  to  last,  and  some  of  the  games  that  are  to  be  played. 
Perhaps  you  would  like  to  have  him  bring  something 
to  add  to  the  pleasure  of  the  evening.  Ask  him 
courteously  to  do  this. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  307 

Write  a  story  suggested  by  these  words:  bush, 
spade,  withering,  grandfather,  visit. 

Tell  what  you  remember  of  a  story  or  a  poem  that 
you  enjoy.  If  the  story  is  too  long  for  one  reproduction, 
divide  it  into  sections,  writing  one  a  day. 

Write  about  a  butterfly.  What  are  the  colors  of 
its  wings?  What  is  the  shape  of  the  wings'?  Has  the 
butterfly  any  legs?  Has  it  any  eyes?  Does  it  fly  like 
a  bird?  Is  it  hatched  from  an  egg?  Did  you  ever  see  a 
chrysalis?  If  chrysalis  is  a  new  word  to  you,  look  it  up 
in  the  big  dictionary.  Make  an  interesting  paper  out  of 
what  you  know  about  a  butterfly,  whether  it  is  much  or 
little.  Perhaps,  before  writing  this  paper,  you  will  be 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  a  chance  to  watch  a  butterfly, 
or  even  to  have  one  in  the  schoolroom  to  study  and  talk 
about  with  the  teacher. 

Write  about  a  delivery  man.  What  is  a  delivery 
man?  What  kinds  of  stores  employ  men  to  deliver 
goods?  Why?  What  do  these  men  do  besides  ride  on 
their  wagons  and  carry  goods  into  houses?  Does  the 
one  about  whom  you  are  writing  take  care  of  his  own 
horse?  Does  he  own  his  own  horse  and  wagon?  At 
what  time  in  the  morning  does  he  begin  work?  When 
does  he  quit  work?  Tell  what  you  know  about  the  work 
of  a  delivery  man. 

In  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page,  "Home  after 
the  First  Voyage,"  why  does  every  one  look  so  happy? 
Who  has  been  away?  Is  he  a  young  boy?  About  how 
old  do  you  think  he  is?  Notice  the  collar  of  his  shirt. 
What  boys  wear  such  a  collar?  What  kind  of  a  voyage 
has  he  had?  Do  you  think  his  mother  was  lonesome 


308  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

while  he  was  away?  Does  the  sister  standing  by  the 
mother's  chair  look  older  or  younger  than  the  boy? 
Does  she  seem  glad  to  have  her  brother  home  again? 
Tell  about  this  home-coming,  making  a  story  of  it. 


REMAINING  WEEKS   OF  THE   YEAR 

SUMMARY    OF    SUBJECTS 

VERBS 

Raise  and  Rise 

Use  in  Sentences 

Regular  Verbs 

Participles 

May  and  Can ;  Might  and  Could 

COMMON  ERRORS 

NOUNS 

CAPITALS 

SYNONYMS 

PARAGRAPH  STRUCTURE 

COMPOSITION 


At  least  two  of  the  five  language  periods  per 
week  are  to  be  given  to  constructive  work  in  com- 
position—  see  suggestive  program  in  appendix. 


310  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


VERBS 

RAISE  AND  RISE 

The  two  verbs  raise  and  rise  are  sometimes  incor- 
rectly used,  the  one  for  the  other.  The  surest  and  easiest 
way  to  distinguish  between  them  is  to  know  that  raise  is 
transitive,  for  it  requires  an  object  to  complete  its 
thought;  and  that  rise  is  intransitive,  for  the  meaning  is 
complete  without  an  object. 

The  sun  rises.  The  farmer  raises  potatoes.  The  man 
rises  at  four  o'clock.  The  boy  raised  his  hand. 

PRESENT  PAST 

PRESENT  PAST  PARTICIPLE  PARTICIPLE 

rise  rose  rising  risen 

raise  raised  raising  raised 

Water  in  a  river  rises  in  a  flood.  A  boy  rises  to  his 
feet.  Bread  rises.  A  bird  rises  in  the  air. 

Write  three  sentences  using  water  and  some  lorm  of 
the  verb  rise.  Write  three  using  boy  and  some  form  of 
rise.  Write  two  using  bread  and  some  form  of  rise. 
Write  two  using  bird  and  some  form  of  rise. 

Write  three  sentences  using  the  past  tense  of  raise 
with  an  object. 

Write  three  sentences  using  have  raised  or  has  raised 
with  an  object. 

USE  IN  SENTENCES 

Use  the  following  verbs  in  sentences: 

drank  sang  rang  began         lie  set 

drunk  sung  rung  begun        laid  sat 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  311 

REGULAR  VERBS 

The  verbs  that  we  have  been  studying  are  called 
irregular,  because  they  change  in  their  principal  parts. 
There  are  a  great  many  regular  verbs  in  the  language,  but 
they  are  so  easy  that  few  mistakes  are  made  in  their  use. 
Here  are  a  few  regular  verbs : 


like 

liked 

liking 

liked 

rule 

ruled 

ruling 

ruled 

ask 

asked 

asking 

asked 

pick 

picked 

picking 

picked 

prepare 

prepared 

preparing 

prepared 

In  these  verbs  there  are  not  the  troublesome  changes 
that  we  have  in  write,  give,  blow  and  all  the  other  verbs 
we  have  been  studying.  The  past  tense  and  past  par- 
ticiple of  most  regular  verbs  end  with  ed.  There  is, 
however,  one  mistake  that  a  great  many  children  make 
with  regular  verbs;  they  leave  off  the  ed  in  speaking  and 
in  writing.  They  say,  "He  ask  me  to  go  with  him  yes- 
terday." Say  asked.  Be  sure  to  pronounce  the  ed^  but 
remember  that  the  word  has  only  one  syllable.  In  this 
verb  and  many  others  ed  sounds  almost  like  /.u 

PARTICIPLES 

Use  the  following  present  participles  in  four  ways — 
as  a  verb,  as  a  noun,  as  an  adjective,  and  as  a  noun  and  a 

verb  at  the  same  time: 

% 

dressing  dressing  dolls 

growing  growing  onions 

eating  eating  apples 

digging  digging  holes 

throwing  throwing  a  ball 


312  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Here  follow  some  sentences  that  will  help  you  write 
yours : 

Mother  is  dressing  to  go  down  town  (a  verb).  It  is 
dressing  time  for  all  who  act  in  the  play  (an  adjective). 
Dressing  takes  a  great  deal  of  time  (a  noun).  Dressing  dolls 
is  great  fun  (noun  and  verb  at  the  same  time). 

MAY  AND  CAN;  MIGHT  AND  COULD 

Can  shows  power  or  ability;  could  shows  power  or 
ability,  but  with  a  condition  attached,  as: 

I  can  make  a  toy  boat.  I  could  make  a  toy  boat  if  I 
had  a  larger  piece  of  wood. 

May  shows  permission  or  possibility;  might  shows 
permission  or  possibility,  but  with  a  condition  attached, 
as: 

Mother  says  that  I  may  go  to  school.  Mother  said  that 
I  might  go  to  school  if  I  got.  my  new  shoes. 

Write  five  sentences  with  can;  five  with  could. 
Write  five  with  may;  five  with  might. 


COMMON  ERRORS 

If  you  are  making  any  of  the  mistakes  given  below, 
watch  your  conversation  closely  until  you  always  use  the 
correct  expressions. 

"This  here,"  "that  there,"  or  still  worse,  "them 
there,"  are  mistakes  that  mar  the  speech  of  many  per- 
sons, fhis  man,  this  book,  this  room,  are  enough  with- 
out putting  here  after  this.  The  same  is  true  about  that 
man,  not  "that  there  man."  "Them  there"  is  the  worst 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  313 

of  the  three,  for  there  is  the  double  mistake  of  using  them 
in  place  of  those  and  of  putting  in  there  when  there  is  no 
need  of  it. 


REVIEWS 

Write  the  names  of  ten  things  that  you  can  smell. 

Write  the  names  of  three  traits  of  character  that 
you  admire  in  some  of  your  friends,  and  of  three  that  you 
dislike  in  some  persons  you  know,  perhaps  in  yourself. 

Are  these  nouns  that  you  have  written  common  or 
proper? 

Write  ten  proper  nouns. 

What  is  a  noun?  What  is  a  proper  noun?  What 
is  a  common  noun? 

Write  the  possessive  singular  and  plural  of  the 
following  nouns : 

canyon  country  rose 

forest  state  countess 

lady  cow  baby 


What  is  a  pronoun?  What  are  the  objective 
pronouns?  What  are  the  nominative  pronouns? 

Put  two  objective  pronouns  after  each  of  the  follow- 
ing prepositions : 

to  for  with  after  beside 

from  against         over  under  by 


Important  days  of  the  year  begin  with  capitals;  as, 
New  Year's   Day,   Thanksgiving  Day,   Commencement 


314  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

Day.  Notice  that  in  these  expressions  day  also  has  a 
capital  letter. 

In  any  of  your  books  you  will  find  that  the  heading 
of  a  chapter  and  the  title  of  a  story  will  be  in  capitals. 
In  writing  headings,  however,  the  important  words  are 
the  only  ones  capitalized;  as:  "Red  Riding  Hood  and 
Her  Grandmother."  "The  Story  of  a  Canary  Bird." 
If  all  the  words  are  important,  they  are  all  capitalized; 
as,  "The  Rope  Walk." 

When  writing  of  a  river,  island,  lake  or  mountain 
use  capitals;  as:  Hudson  River,  Long  Island,  Lake 
Tahoe,  Pacific  Ocean,  Mount  Shasta,  Mohawk  Valley. 

Write  the  names  of  several  rivers,  lakes,  mountains, 
islands  or  places  that  you  know.  Write  five  sentences  in 
which  you  use  some  of  these  names. 


Some  words  have  more  than  one  meaning.  See  if 
you  can  find  at  least  two  meanings  for  all  of  these  words : 
ugly,  angry,  weak,  rich,  term. 

Ugly  may  mean  ill-tempered ;  as,  he  is  an  ugly  man. 
It  may  mean  bad  looking,  not  pleasing  in  appearance; 
as,  that  is  an  ugly  house. 

Write  six  sentences,  using  some  of  the  words  given 
above. 

Use  these  words  in  sentences,  and  then  find  synonyms 
for  them:  empty,  change  (the  verb),  toss,  small,  big, 
thankful,  queer,  funny,  handsome. 

Notice  the  conversation  of  some  one  who  knows 
more  about  language  than  you  do,  and  select  ten  of  his 
words  that  you  would  like  to  understand  and  use.  Look 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  315 

up  their  meanings  in  the  dictionary.     Use  these  words 
in  sentences. 

•   PARAGRAPH    STRUCTURE 

Take  one  of  the  papers  that  you  have  written  re- 
cently, choosing  a  long  one.  Study  your  paragraphing. 
Make  an  outline  of  the  paper  by  writing  the  thought  of 
every  paragraph. 

Have  you  finished  the  thought  in  every  paragraph, 
or  would  a  few  more  sentences  make  it  clearer4?  Have 
you  put  into  any  paragraph  thoughts  that  really  belong 
in  another  ?  If  so,  put  these  sentences  where  they  be- 
long. Have  you  arranged  your  paragraphs  in  the  best 
possible  order?  Does  your  story  move  forward  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end?  Would  it  be  better  to  change 
the  order  in  any  way? 

COMPOSITION 

What  comes  to  your  mind  with  the  words  pitch 
dark?  Is  it  something  that  has  happened  to  you?^  Is  it 
a  story  that  you  have  heard?  Can  you  imagine  something 
that  might  happen  on  such  a  night  or  in  such  a  place? 
Shut  your  eyes  for  a  moment  or  two  and  think  about 
something  that  is  pitch  dark.  Write  whatever  comes  into 
your  mind. 

Write  what  you  think  when  you  read  the  words, 
in  a  rowboat. 

Have  you  ever  played  under  an  oak  tree?  Tell 
what  you  "made  believe."  What  were  the  acorns? 
What  were  the  acorn  cups?  What  was  the  hole  in  the 
tree?  What  persons  or  people  did  you  imagine  were 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  317 

around  you4?  Tell  it  all  as  you  played  it,  bringing  in 
some  of  the  dreams  and  fancies  that  you  enjoyed  so 
much. 

What  have  you  been  studying  in  geography  lately  ? 
Many  interesting  things  are  told  in  it  about  other 
countries  than  our  own.  Perhaps,  in  addition  to  the 
textbook,  you  have  been  reading  or  hearing  about  some 
of  these  countries.  Imagine  that  you  are  visiting  one 
of  the  places  that  you  know  most  about,  and  write  about 
your  visit. 

Find  a  picture  that  you  enjoy.  Nearly  all  pictures 
tell  a  story.  Find  the  story  in  a  picture  that  you  like, 
and  tell  it. 

Write  a  letter  to  your  brother  or  sister,  telling  about 
taking  the  wrong  streetcar,  and  what  was  the  result  of 
your  mistake. 

How  does  a  canary  bird  live  in  its  cage*?  How 
should  it  be  cared  for?  Could  it  live  if  set  free?  Do 
you  know  of  any  other  birds  that  live  in  cages?  Have 
you  ever  seen  an  aviary,  where  many  birds  live  in  a  big 
wire  enclosure  out  of  doors'?  Can  canaries  live  in  this 
way?  Do  they  seem  happy? 

The  picture,  "Weary,"  on  the  opposite  page  tells  a 
beautiful  story.  Can  you  see  what  it  is?  Do  you  think 
that  this  mother  and  her  child  are  poor  persons?  They 
do  not  look  worn,  or  troubled,  or  anxious  about  anything, 
do  they?  Perhaps  they  live  in  a  warm  country,  and  so 
they  are  barefooted  and  lightly  dressed.  Does  not  the 
mother  look  happy?  Why  do  you  think  she  is  happy? 
Write  a  story  of  what  the  mother  and  child  may  have 
been  doing  to  become  so  tired. 


318  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


SUMMARY 

This  summary  is  given  as  a  convenient  reference 
table  for  the  teacher  and  pupils.  It  should  not  be 
assigned  to  be  studied  or  memorized.  It  is  for  reference 
only.  The  points  contained  in  it  have  all  been  developed 
inductively  in  the  text. 


PUNCTUATION 

It  is  not  desirable  to  give  many  set  rules  of  punctua- 
tion for  a  mature  writer;  but  a  child  must  be  assisted  to 
good  form  by  directions  concerning  the  use  of  punctuation 
marks.  The  origin  of  punctuation  was  in  the  need  of 
some  device  to  make  plain  the  meaning  of  a  writer,  and 
its  use  should  be  governed  by  this  same  need.  As  a 
result,  hard  and  fast  rules  of  punctuation  should  not  be 
made.  The  simplest  uses  may  be  given  definitely,  but  a 
writer  soon  needs  to  rely  on  judgment  as  well  as  on  rules 
in  punctuating  his  productions. 

PERIOD 

Put  a  period  after:  a  declarative  sentence;  an  im- 
perative sentence,  unless  it  has  become  exclamatory  in 
its  nature;  an  abbreviation;  a  number  written  with 
Roman  numerals. 

COMMA 

Use  commas  to  set  off  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence : 
words  used  in  direct  address;  a  short  direct  quotation;  an 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  319 

explanatory  word,  phrase  or  clause;  an  independent 
word;  a  parenthetical  expression,  or  one  thrown  into  a 
sentence;  a  part  of  a  sentence  that  is  put  out  of  its  natu- 
ral place.  Words  in  a  series  are  separated  by  commas 
wherever  the  conjunction  is  omitted. 

INTERROGATION    POINT 

An  interrogation  point  is  placed  after  a  question. 

EXCLAMATION    POINT 

An  exclamation  point  is  placed  after  an  exclamation, 
whether  it  be  a  word  or  a  sentence. 

APOSTROPHE 

An  apostrophe  is  used  to  show  ownership ;  to  indicate 
the  omission  of  a  letter  or  letters. 

QUOTATION    MARKS 

Quotation  marks  are  used  to  inclose  a  direct 
quotation. 

HYPHEN 

If  a  word  is  divided  at  the  end  of  a  line,  a  hyphen 
is  used  to  show  that  the  rest  of  the  word  is  on  the  follow- 
ing line.  The  parts  of  some  compound  words  are 
connected  by  the  hyphen. 

CAPITALS 

Begin  with  a  capital  letter:  a  sentence;  a  line  of 
poetry;  a  proper  noun;  the  names  of  the  Deity.  Usually 
the  first  word  of  a  direct  quotation  begins  with  a  capital. 
Many  abbreviations  are  written  with  capitals  or  begun 


320  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

with  them,  but  there  is  no  rule.  The  pronoun  /  and  the 
interjection  O  are  capitalized.  In  titles  of  books  or 
articles  capitalize  the  important  words. 

PARTS    OF    SPEECH 

All  the  words  of  our  language  may  be  arranged  in 
eight  classes:  nouns,  verbs,  pronouns,  adjectives,  adverbs, 
prepositions,  conjunctions  and  interjections.  These  are 
known  as  the  parts  of  speech. 

A  noun  is  the  name  of  anything.  A  verb  is  a  word 
that  asserts  or  declares  something.  It  shows  action, 
existence  or  condition.  A  pronoun  is  a  word  that  stands 
for  a  noun.  An  adjective  is  a  word  used  to  describe  or 
modify  a  noun.  An  adverb  is  a  word  used  to  modify  a 
verb,  an  adjective  or  another  adverb.  A  preposition  is 
a  word  that  connects  a  noun  or  a  pronoun  to  some  other 
word  and  shows  the  relation  between  them.  A  conjunc- 
tion is  a  word  used  to  connect  words,  phrases,  clauses  or 
sentences.  An  interjection  is  a  word  used  to  express 
strong  emotion  or  surprise.  It  has  no  grammatical 
connection  with  the  rest  of  the  sentence. 


SUBDIVISIONS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  SPEECH 

Several  of  the  parts  of  speech  may  be  subdivided 
into  classes.  The  subdivisions  that  you  have  learned 
about  follow: 

NOUNS 

Two  kinds  of  nouns  have  already  been  studied, 
common  and  proper.  A  common  noun  is  the  name  of 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  321 

any  member  of  a  class.     A  proper  noun  is  the  name  of 
an  individual. 

VERBS 

According  to  their  meaning  verbs  may  be  transitive 
or  intransitive.  A  transitive  verb  may  take  an  object  to 
complete  its  meaning.  An  intransitive  verb  does  not 
require  an  object  to  complete  its  meaning. 

According  to  their  form  verbs  may  be  regular  or 
irregular.  A  regular  verb  adds  d  or  ed  to  its  root  to 
form  its  past  tense  and  past  participle.  An  irregular 
verb  forms  its  past  tense  by  a  change  in  the  vowel  of  the 
root,  and  its  past  participle  ends  in  n  or  en.  There  may 
be  other  vowel  changes  in  forming  the  principal  parts. 

PRONOUNS 

Three  kinds  of  pronouns  have  been  studied:  per- 
sonal, relative  and  interrogative.  A  personal  pronoun 
is  one  that  shows  by  its  form  its  person  and  number.  A 
relative  pronoun  connects  a  related  clause  to  the  noun 
for  which  it  stands.  There  are  four  relative  pronouns: 
who,  which,  what  and  that.  An  interrogative  pronoun 
is  used  to  ask  a  question.  There  are  three  interrogative 
pronouns:  who,  which  and  what. 


MODIFICATIONS  OF  PARTS   OF  SPEECH 

Words  sometimes  change  their  form  in  order  to  ex- 
press a  change  in  use  or  meaning.  You  have  learned 
some  of  these  changes  or  modifications. 


322  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

NOUNS  AND  PRONOUNS 

Nouns  and  pronouns  change  their  form  to  show 
number  and  case.  Pronouns  have  still  another  change  to 
show  person. 

There  are  two  numbers,  the  singular  and  the 
plural.  The  singular  number  denotes  but  one  person  or 
thing.  The  plural  number  denotes  more  than  one 
person  or  thing. 

There  are  three  cases:  nominative,  possessive  and 
objective.  A  noun  or  pronoun  is  in  the  nominative  case 
when  it  is  used  as  the  subject  of  a  verb.  A  noun  or 
pronoun  is  in  the  possessive  case  when  it  is  used  to  show 
ownership.  A  noun  or  pronoun  is  in  the  objective  case 
when  it  is  used  as  the  object  of  a  verb  or  preposition. 

There  are  three  persons :  the  first,  second  and  third. 
The  first  person  denotes  the  speaker.  The  second  person 
denotes  the  person  spoken  to.  The  third  person  denotes 
the  person  spoken  of. 

VERBS 

You  have  been  using  one  of  the  modifications  of 
verbs,  tense.  The  tense  of  a  verb  shows  the  time  to  which 
the  verb  refers.  There  are  six  tenses:  the  present,  past, 
future,  present  perfect,  past  perfect  and  future  perfect. 

The  present  tense  means  present  time;  as,  I  write. 
The  past  tense  means  past  time ;  as,  I  wrote.  The  future 
tense  means  future  time;  as,  I  shall  write.  The  present 
perfect  tense  means  that  the  action  is  complete  at  this 
time;  as,  I  have  written.  The  past  perfect  tense 
means  that  the  action  was  completed  in  the  past;  as,  I 
had  written.  The  future  perfect  tense  means  that  the 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE  323 

action  will  be  completed  some  time  in  the  future;  as,  I 
shall  have  written. 

ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS 

These  parts  of  speech  have  but  one  change  of  form, 
which  is  called  comparison.  There  are  three  steps  in 
comparison,  called  the  positive,  comparative  and  super- 
lative degrees. 

The  positive  degree  shows  the  simple  condition,  ripe. 
The  comparative  degree  shows  a  higher  state;  as,  riper; 
or  a  lower  state,  as  less  ripe.  The  superlative  degree 
shows  the  highest  state;  as,  ripest;  or  the  lowest  state,  as 
least  ripe. 

SENTENCES 

Whenever  we  express  our  thoughts  we  do  so  in  sen- 
tences. If  the  thought  is  complete,  the  sentence  is  also 
complete.  We  may  say  "oranges,"  and  point  to  a  pile 
of  that  fruit.  We  have  mentioned  some  objects,  but  we 
have  not  expressed  a  thought.  Some  one  cries,  "Stop!" 
but  a  full  thought  has  not  been  expressed.  Consequently 
we  form  the  natural  definition:  A  sentence  is  the 
expression  of  a  complete  thought. 

According  as  their  meanings  vary,  there  are  four 
kinds  of  sentences:  declarative,  interrogative,  imperative 
and  exclamatory.  A  declarative  sentence  makes  a  state- 
ment. An  interrogative  sentence  asks  a  question.  An 
imperative  sentence  gives  a  command.  An  exclamatory 
sentence  expresses  surprise,  astonishment  or  sudden 
emotion. 

Sentences  vary  as  to  their  form:  they  are  simple, 


324  GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 

compound  or  complex.  A  simple  sentence  has  but  one 
subject  and  one  predicate.  Both  subject  and  predicate 
may  consist  of  only  one  word,  or  they  may  consist  of 
many.  A  compound  sentence  consists  of  two  or  more 
independent  clauses  connected  by  conjunctions.  A  com- 
plex sentence  consists  of  an  independent  clause  and  one 
or  more  dependent  clauses. 

PHRASES    AND    CLAUSES 

In  any  sentence  there  may  be  a  group  of  words  more 
closely  related  to  one  another  than  to  the  rest  of  the 
sentence,  while  the  group  as  a  whole  is  a  modifier  of 
some  other  part  of  the  sentence.  Such  a  group  of  words 
is  usually  either  a  phrase  or  a  clause.  Two  kinds  of 
phrases  have  been  used  so  far,  prepositional  phrases  and 
participial  phrases. 

A  preposition  and  the  word  it  governs  (its  object) 
form  a  prepositional  phrase.  A  participle  and  its  object 
form  a  participial  phrase.  A  phrase  may  also  contain 
other  words,  usually  modifiers  of  the  object. 

A  clause  is  a  group  of  words  within  a  sentence, 
having  its  subject  and  predicate.  It  is  a  sentence  within 
a  sentence.  A  clause  may  be  independent  or  dependent. 
An  independent  clause  can  stand  by  itself  as  a  sentence. 
A  dependent  clause  takes  the  part  of  an  adjective,  an 
adverb  or  a  noun  in  a  sentence,  modifying  some  part  of 
the  independent  clause.  It  can  not  stand  alone  as  a 
sentence. 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PRINCIPAL    PARTS    OF    IRREGULAR    VERBS 

Below  is  a  list  of  irregular  verbs  studied  during  the 
year: 

PAST 
PARTICIPLE 

rung 

sung 

sunk 

sprung 

drunk 

shrunk 

swum 

begun 

blown 

grown 

known 

thrown 

drawn 

flown 

caught 
taught 
fought 
bought 

written 

ridden 

driven 

risen 

broken 

stolen 

spoken 

forgotten 

chosen 

taken 

shaken 

eaten 

beaten 

given 

bitten 

hidden 


PRESENT 

'RESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

ring 

rang 

ringing 

sing 

sang 

singing 

sink 

sank 

sinking 

spring 

sprang 

springing 

drink 

drank 

drinking 

shrink 

shrank 

shrinking 

swim 

swam 

swimming 

begin 

began 

beginning 

blow 

blew 

blowing 

grow 

grew 

growing 

know 

knew 

knowing 

throw 

threw 

throwing 

draw 

drew 

drawing 

fly 

flew 

flying 

catch 

caught 

catching 

teach 

taught 

teaching 

fight 

fought 

fighting 

buy 

bought 

buying 

write 

wrote 

writing 

ride 

rode 

riding 

drive 

drove 

driving 

rise 

rose 

rising 

break 

broke 

breaking 

steal 

stole 

stealing 

speak 

spoke 

speaking 

forget 

forgot 

forgetting 

choose 

chose 

choosing 

take 

took 

taking 

shake 

shook 

shaking 

eat 

ate 

eating 

beat 

beat 

beating 

give 

gave 

giving 

bite 

bit 

biting 

hide 

hid 

hiding 

326 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  LANGUAGE 


PRESENT 

PAST 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

PARTICIPLE 

find 

found 

finding 

found 

wind 

wound 

winding 

wound 

bind 

bound 

binding 

bound 

see 

saw 

seeing 

seen 

come 

came 

coming 

come 

do 

did 

doing 

done 

go 

went 

going 

gone 

lie 

lay 

lying 

lain 

sit 

sat 

sitting 

sat 

set 

set 

setting 

set 

run 

ran 

running 

run 

slide 

slid 

sliding 

slid 

burst 

burst 

bursting 

burst 

swing 

swung 

swinging 

swung 

get 

got 

getting 

got 

shoe 

shod 

shoeing 

shod 

keep 

kept 

keeping 

kept 

shine 

shone 

shining 

shone 

PRINCIPAL    PARTS    OF    REGULAR   VERBS 

Below  is  a  list  of  a  few  regular  verbs  that  have 
been  studied  during  the  year : 


PRESENT 

PAST 

PRESENT 

PAST 

PARTICIPLE 

PARTICIPLE 

like 

liked 

liking 

liked 

love 

loved 

loving 

loved 

learn 

learned 

learning 

learned 

raise 

raised 

raising 

raised 

rule 

ruled 

ruling 

ruled 

ask 

asked 

asking 

asked 

pick 

picked 

picking 

picked 

prepare 

prepared 

preparing 

prepared 

lay 

laid 

laying 

laid 

SUGGESTIONS   FOR  TEACHERS 


ii  APPENDIX 


SUGGESTIONS   FOR   TEACHERS 

The  notes  or  suggestions  to  which  specific  references 
are  made  in  the  body  of  the  text,  are  placed  in  this  appendix 
under  these  headings:  Third- Year  Grade;  Fourth- Year 
Grade;  Fifth- Year  Grade.  A  number  used  for  reference  in 
the  body  of  the  text,  refers  to  a  note  of  the  same  number  in 
the  same  grade  in  this  appendix.  A  suggestive  program  and 
a  discussion  on  composition  precede  these  notes.  This  pro- 
gram and  this  talk  on  composition  should  be  studied  carefully 
by  the  teacher  before  beginning  the  work  of  any  grade. 

PROGRAM 

There  follows  a  suggestive  outline,  based  on  the  text,  for 
the  work  of  the  first  month  of  the  third  grade.  The  teacher 
will  find  that  a  similar  program  for  every  month  in  each  grade 
will  be  helpful  in  making  the  work  systematic  and  complete. 
As  indicated  by  the  outline  given  below,  the  subjects  of  a 
month,  except  the  subject  of  composition,  are  to  be  studied  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  given  in  the  text.  The  formal 
presentation  of  each  subject,  except  the  subject  of  composition, 
is  to  be  completed  before  another  is  taken  up.  It  is  very  im- 
portant to  note  carefully  that  in  each  month  the  subject  of 
composition  is  to  be  a  part  of  all  the  other  subjects.  Composi- 
tion is  not  to  be  studied  separately  at  the  end  of  the  month,  as 
the  position  of  this  subject  throughout  the  text  might  indicate. 
In  addition  to  the  oral  and  written  work  required  for  "drills" 
and  for  purposes  of  illustration,  two  language  periods  per  week 
are  to  be  given  exclusively  to  Composition. 

First  Week 

Monday 

Capitals.     Capital  letters  for  first  names  of  persons  and 
for  names  of  animals. 


APPENDIX  iii 

Tuesday 

Capitals.  Write  many  complete  names  of  persons  and 
the  initials  of  these  names. 

Wednesday 

Composition.  Talk  over  in  class  a  story,  a  poem  or  a 
lesson  for  reproduction  as  a  composition. 

Thursday 

Capitals.  Write  in  sentences  the  names  of  many  persons. 
Have  pupils  read 'over  at  their  seats  the  papers  written 
Wednesday. 

Friday 

Composition.  Put  on  the  board  one  or  more  of  the 
papers  from  the  writing  on  Wednesday-.  Have  a 
recitation  on  what  has  been  copied  on  the  board.  For 
suggestions  as  to  what  a  recitation  on  a  composition 
copied  on  the  board  should  be,  see  "Correction  of 
Papers"  in  the  discussion  on  "Composition"  at  the 
end  of  this  program. 

Second  Week 

Monday 

Punctuation.  Oral  and  written  lesson  on  statements 
with  the  use  of  the  period. 

Tuesday 

Punctuation.  Oral  and  written  lesson  on  questions  with 
the  use  of  the  interrogation  point. 

Wednesday 

Composition.  Talk  over  in  class  some  subject  or  story 
for  written  reproduction. 

Thursday 

Composition.  Put  on  the  board  one  or  more  of  the 
papers  from  the  writing  on  Wednesday.  Have  a 
recitation  on  what  has  been  copied  on  the  board. 


iv  APPENDIX  . 

Friday 

Punctuation.  Many  asking  and  telling  sentences  written 
to  show  capitals  and  punctuation. 

Third  Week 

Monday 

Common  Errors.  Oral  and  written  drill  on  the  correct 
expression  in  place  of  the  double  negative. 

Tuesday 

Common  Errors.  Oral  and  written  drill  to  correct 
some  common  error  of  speech,  especially  the  double 
negative. 

Wednesday 

Composition.  Talk  over  in  class  some  subject  for  com- 
position. 

Thursday 

Composition.  Put  on  the  board  one  or  more  of  the 
papers  from  the  writing  on  Wednesday.  Have  a  reci- 
tation on  what  has  been  copied  on  the  board. 

Friday 

Verbs.  Oral  development  of  the  four  forms  of  write. 
Dral  drill  on  written.  Written  drill  on  written. 

Fourth  Week 

Monday 

Verbs.  Oral  drill  on  written.  Oral  development  of 
break  and  drill  on  broken. 

Tuesday 

Verbs.  Oral  development  of  the  four  forms  of  do. 
Oral  and  written  drills  on  did,  written  and  broken. 

Wednesday 

Composition.     Oral  reproduction  in  class  of  some  story 


APPENDIX  v 

or  lesson,  followed  by  written  reproduction  of  the  same 
story. 

Thursday 

Verbs.  Oral  development  of  the  four  forms  of  give. 
Oral  and  written  drills  on  did  and  gave. 

Friday 

Composition.  Put  on  the  board  one  or  more  of  the 
papers  from  the  writing  on  Wednesday.  Have  a  reci- 
tation on  what  has  been  copied  on  the  board. 

COMPOSITION 
INTEREST  IN   THE   SUBJECT 

Composition  should  be  a  pleasure  to  teacher  and  pupils. 
Children  should  write  as  they  think  and  talk — easily,  naturally, 
happily.  They  will  do  this  if  permitted  to  express  themselves 
in  an  everyday  manner  on  everyday  subjects.  Ask  and  ex- 
pect children  to  write  on  a  familiar  subject  only.  Develop 
such  a  subject  for  writing  by  talking  about  it  informally, 
although  the  conversation,  may  be  in  the  class.  Talk  about 
some  animal,  occurrence,  picture  or  story  and  awaken  interest 
in  the  subject,  whatever  it  is.  Bring  out  facts  that  are  known 
by  the  children,  and  when  the  pupils  are  thoroughly  aroused 
and  eager  to  talk,  lead  them  to  write  in  place  of  talking.  If, 
at  first,  there  is  a  dread  of  writing,  it  will  soon  disappear 
under  common-sense  treatment. 

WRITING   THE    PAPER 

When  the  children  are  ready  to  write,  assist  them  to 
express  themselves  correctly  by  asking  them  what  they  must 
always  remember  when  writing.  They  will  suggest  capitals, 
punctuation  marks,  and  other  formal  and  mechanical  points 
that  are  in  the  daily  drills.  Such  suggestions  often  forestall 
mistakes  and  become  an  important  aid  in  forming  good  habits 
of  writing. 


vi  APPENDIX 

Children's  papers  should  be  short.  A  half  hour  may  be 
long  enough  for  a  fifth-grade  pupil,  who  can  exhaust  some 
subjects  and  write  good  papers  in  fifteen  minutes.  Third- 
grade  pupils  can  often  write  all  they  know  about  a  subject  in 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  unless  they  are  handicapped  by 
undeveloped  penmanship. 

As  soon  as  a  child  begins  to  write,  leave  him  to  himself. 
Do  not  interrupt  him,  do  not  hamper  him  by  suggestions,  but 
let  him  be  at  liberty  to  express  himself.  The  importance  of 
this  suggestion  will  be  clear  to  every  one.  No  one  except  a 
specially  trained  person  can  satisfactorily  write  a  letter,  a  paper 
or  a  story  if  frequently  interrupted ;  especially  if  the  interrup- 
tions are  corrections  and  directions.  The  time  for  guidance 
and  direction  is  before  writing;  the  time  for  correction  and 
reconstruction  is  after  writing.  During  the  writing  the  child 
should  be  undisturbed. 

When  the  papers  are  finished  they  should  be  collected 
and  retained  by  the  teacher  until  again  needed  for  class  work. 
This  is  not  an  unimportant  point,  for  on  it  often  depends  the 
preservation  and  neatness  of  papers. 

CORRECTION    OF • PAPERS 

Correction  of  papers  is  imperative  because  it  is  the  rule 
of  growth  for  pupils ;  but  there  are  various  kinds  of  correc- 
tion. For  the  teacher  to  read  and  correct  every  paper  for 
every  pupil  is  impossible  and  ineffective.  Correcting  papers 
rarely  corrects  children;  and  it  is  the  children  who  are  to  be 
improved.  Three  methods  may  be  combined  in  correcting 
compositions :  Correction  by  the  writer  of  his  own  paper ; 
this  is  the  most  valuable  kind  of  correction.  Correction  of 
papers  or  of  special  points  in  them  by  the  class,  working  with 
the  teacher;  this  is  next  in  importance  to  personal  correction 
by  the  writer,  and  it  is  the  most  interesting  of  the  three  kinds. 
Correction  by  the  teacher  alone ;  this  is  the  least  valuable 
form  of  correction. 

The  corrections  by  the  writer  should  not  be  made  until 


APPENDIX  vii 

at  least  two  or  three  hours  after  writing.  During  writing, 
the  mind  is  engaged  in  creative  work;  during  correction,  the 
mind  is  busied  with  formalities  and  the  mechanics  of  writing. 
A  child's  mind  does  not  turn  readily  from  one  phase  to  the 
other;  consequently,  a  few  hours  or  a  day  should  elapse 
between  the  writing  and  the  correcting.  Before  the  writers 
begin  to  make  their  corrections  the  teacher  and  the  class  may 
suggest  what  kind  of  errors  to  look  for.  A  teacher  that  knows 
her  class  or  a  class  that  knows  itself  will  readily  fill  up  the 
measure  of  "things  to  look  for."  The  writer  should  be  per- 
mitted at  this  time  to  recast  his  sentences  and  to  rearrange  his 
paragraphs,  as  well  as  to  make  all  minor  corrections. 

A  paper  should  be  rewritten  if  it  has  been  changed  or 
corrected  extensively. 

Class  correction  of  errors  should  be  one  of  the  most 
profitable  and  inspiring  lessons  in  composition.  The  teacher 
should  select  one  or  more  papers  from  a  class  set.  They 
should  not  be  the  poorest  papers,  for  these  need  individual 
correction ;  they  should  not  be  the  best  papers,  for  these  will 
not  contain  the  errors  and  weaknesses  to  be  eradicated. 
The  selected  papers  should  be  of  a  medium  grade,  containing 
errors  made  by  the  majority  of  the  pupils.  The  paper,  or  com- 
plete parts  of  the  same,  should  be  written  on  the  board  and 
then  read  and  discussed  in  a  helpful  way.  The  minor  errors 
should  be  corrected  first,  the  children  suggesting  and  correcting 
as  many  as  possible.  Follow  these  with  more  advanced  points, 
such  as  the  consideration  of  faulty  sentence  and  paragraph 
constructions,  or  the  choice  of  appropriate  words.  Lead  the 
children  to  make  corrections.  In  fact,  they  should  be  led  to 
feel  that  they  are  responsible  for  reconstructions  and  improve- 
ments. If  they  begin  to  keep  silent  and  to  receive  instructions 
only,  it  is  an  indication  that  they  are  tired  of  the  work  or  that 
it  has  been  carried  beyond  their  comprehension.  Keep  within 
the  limitations  of  the  children.  Every  corrected  point  and 
sentence  should  be  written  plainly  on  the  board.  At  the  last 
of  the  recitation  period,  the  corrected  and  improved  paper 


viii  APPENDIX 

should  be  in  a  complete  form  on  the  board  before  the  class,  and 
should  be  near  the  uncorrected  paper  in  order  that  the  pupils 
may  see  and  enjoy  the  improvements  they  have  made.  It  will 
often  stimulate  interest  if  a  pupil,  instead  of  the  teacher,  re- 
writes the  paper  on  the  board  as  it  is  gradually  reconstructed 
and  improved  by  the  class  and  the  teacher. 

Occasionally  the  teacher  should  look  over  a  complete  set 
of  papers,  and  should  hand  them  back  to  their  writers  for 
examination,  correction  and  rewriting  where  necessary.  This 
is  the  least  productive  form  of  correction.  Its  chief  im- 
portance is  in  giving  the  teacher  information  of  the  powers 
and  progress  of  the  pupils,  and  in  showing  the  children  that 
there  is  a  careful  oversight  of  their  work.  It  should  be  em- 
ployed frequently  enough  to  meet  these  two  needs.  Papers 
seldom  need  to  be  completely  rewritten,  especially  in  classes 
where  the  writers  carefully  examine  their  own  papers,  and 
where  class  corrections  are  inspiring  and  suggestive.  In  such 
classes  there  is  usually  a  steady  improvement  in  papers  from 
month  to  month  without  frequent  rewriting. 

A  "composition  book"  is  a  pleasure  to  many  pupils  and 
parents,  and  it  is  often  a  record  of  growth  in  writing.  To 
make  such  a  book,  fasten  together  the  separate  sheets  as  they 
are  written.  A  cord  is  better  than  paper  fasteners  for  this 
purpose,  as  the  book  opens  more  readily  when  tied  loosely. 
Protect  the  compositions  by  an  outside  sheet  of  manila  paper. 

The  steps  in  the  production  of  a  composition  can  be 
summarized  as  follows : 

1.  Discussion  in  class  of  a  subject  for  a  paper. 

2.  Writing  the  paper. 

3.  Collecting  the  papers   to   prevent   any  accidents   to 
them. 

4.  Return  of  the  papers  to  their  writers  for  correction. 

5.  Collection  of  the  papers  after  corrections. 

6.  Selection  by  the  teacher  of  one  or  more  papers  for 
class  correction  of  typical  errors. 


APPENDIX  ix 

7.  Discussion  and  improvement  in  class  of  the  papers 
thus  chosen,  and  rewriting  on  the  board  of  the  result. 

8.  Rewriting  of  their  papers  by  the  pupils  whenever 
this  is  considered  advisable. 

9.  Making  a  "composition  book"  of  all  the  composi- 
tions of  the  year  by  the  pupils  who  desire  one. 

SOURCES    FOR   SUBJECTS 

The  selection  of  subjects  for  writing  is  not  difficult  if 
they  are  taken  from  the  life  and  conversation  of  the  children. 

Narration  is  the  child's  easiest  form  of  writing.  To 
him  it  is  the  conversational  style.  Have  it  used  frequently. 

Description  is  more  difficult  than  narration,  and  a  child's 
composition  will  often  run  from  the  one  style  into  the  other. 
Show  that  to  describe  is  to  make  the  reader  see  what  the 
writer  saw.  The  writer  is  the  eyes  of  the  reader.  Have  short 
descriptions  of  many  things;  of  anything  that  interests  the 
children — persons,  flowers,  trees,  animals,  places,  objects  in 
general. 

Imaginary  stories  appeal  to  many  children  but  they  are 
an  impossibility  to  others.  Do  not  make  writing  them  com- 
pulsory, but  give  them  as  a  choice  of  subject.  Do  not  use 
them  when  a  child's  imagination  runs  away  with  him.  That 
is  not  good  character  building. 

Word  exercises  are  a  practically  limitless  field  for  the 
supply  of  subjects.  A  little  group  of  suggestive  words  will 
nearly  always  bring  out  a  story  or  a  description. 

Descriptions  of  pictures  or  telling  stories  suggested  by 
them  produce  many  excellent  papers.  The  best  plan  is  for  the 
teacher  to  have  a  collection  of  pictures  from  which  the  children 
or  the  teacher  can  choose.  Magazine  pictures,  little  comic 
sketches,  animal  pictures,  reproductions  of  paintings — these 
offer  an  endless  supply.  The  children  will  bring  in  many 
pictures,  but  they  may  have  to  be  helped  to  know  how  to 
make  the  selections. 


x  APPENDIX 

Letter  writing  should  be  a  very  frequent  exercise.  The 
heading,  conclusion  and  address  should  be  written  until  they 
offer  no  difficulties. 

Reproductions  should  be  frequent.  Any  story  can  be 
retold ;  a  poem  can  be  put  into  story  form ;  a  lesson  can  be 
written.  Reproduction  should  be  used  frequently,  but  with 
discretion. 

Science  lessons  are  a  delightful  source  of  papers  in 
many  schools.  With  pupils  of  this  age  they  are  the  study  of 
nature  close  around  them,  and  there  can  be  no  more  pleasing 
knowledge  to  write  about.  If  there  are  no  regular  science 
lessons,  have  short  talks  on  familiar  subjects.  Examine  a 
butterfly,  its  wings,  head,  body ;  watch  how  it  flies ;  find  out 
about  its  food;  examine  a  chrysalis,  if  one  is  to  be  found. 

Have  a  talk  about  a  river.  Discuss  how  it  rises,  grows 
larger  and  larger,  flows  from  higher  to  lower  ground,  and, 
at  last,  finds  its  way  to  the  sea.  Talk  about  the  soil  that  it 
brings  down,  and  how  new  land  is  made.  Keep  all  within 
the  knowledge  of  the  children.  Bring  out  facts  that  interest 
them,  and  later  have  these  written. 

Common  surroundings  and  everyday  experiences  should 
be  drawn  upon  largely.  Every  child's  life  is  filled  with 
observations  and  occurrences  about  which  he  talks  readily. 
Turn  these  into  writing.  The  field  is  limitless. 

Words,  phrases,  clauses,  short  sentences,  often  suggest 
thoughts  for  a  paper. 


THIRD-YEAR  GRADE 

In  order  to  understand  clearly  the  purpose  of  this  text, 
and  the  nature  of  the  work  to  be  done,  teachers  should  read 
carefully  the  "Preface"  and  "Explanatory  and  Suggestive."  It 
will  be  seen  that  the  purpose  is  to  present  language  practically, 
not  technically.  To  accomplish  this,  oral  presentation  should 
be  the  first  step,  followed  by  written  work  and  assignment 


APPENDIX  xi 

from  the  text.  The  younger  the  pupil  the  more  important 
it  is  that  this  sequence  be  observed.  Throughout  the  third 
grade  every  lesson  in  the  text  should  be  approached  by  oral 
class  preparation,  and  the  same  method  should  be  used  for 
many  of  the  lessons  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  grades. 

1.  Before  any  work  in  capital  letters  is  assigned  from 
the  text-book  have  many  short  lessons  with  the  class.    Develop 
orally  the  use  of  capitals  for  names.    Follow  this  instruction  by 
having  the  children  write  the  names  of  pupils,  then  of  other 
persons   they   know.      If,    several   times    during   a   week,    a 
child  writes  correctly  a  group  of  four  or  five  names,  he  will 
not  need  much  more  training  in  writing  names.     Combine 
teaching  the  capital  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence  with  the 
punctuation  of  a  statement  and  a  question;   and  precede  these 
lessons  by  many  oral  drills  on  giving  statements  and  questions. 

2.  Begin   punctuation   by   having   oral   drills.      If  the 
pupils  confuse  the  use  of  the  period  and  the  interrogation 
point,  it  is  probably  because  they  have  not  distinguished  clearly 
between  questions  and  statements.    Have  oral  drills  on  telling 
something  and  on  asking  something.     After  every  drill  write 
on  the  board  a  few  of  the  sentences  to  be  copied  at  the  seats. 
Continue  these  oral  drills  until  every  child  knows  when  he 
states  something  and  when  he  asks  something.     Show  that 
both  the  statement  and  the  question  are  sentences,  and  that 
both  begin  with  capital  letters. 

3.  Not  a  day  should  pass  without  the  teacher  calling 
for  a  few  sentences  for  the  correction  of  the  double  negative. 
Vary  the  exercises  so  as  to  avoid  monotony,  but  have  some 
drill  once  or  twice  a  day.    Oral  drills  should  precede  writing. 

4.  Before  assigning  written  work  on  verbs  or  a  lesson  to 
be  prepared  from  the  text,  have  class  exercises.  Develop  orally 
the  four  parts  of  the  verb  to  be  studied.  Call  for  a  few  sentences 
using  its  different  forms.    Then  bring  out  from  the  pupils,  if 
possible,  what  mistake  is  usually  made  in  the  use  of  this  verb. 
Explain  the  dependence  of  the  fourth  form  (the  past  participle) 


xii  APPENDIX 

upon  an  auxiliary  ver,b,  calling  it  a  "helper,"  as  auxiliary  is 
too  hard  a  word  to  be  used  yet.  Pupils  of  this  grade  need 
much  oral  language  work.  Do  not  make  the  mistake  of  try- 
ing to  teach  grammar.  Remember  that  these  verbs  are  taken 
because  in  their  use  occur  some  of  the  mistakes  most  common 
with  children  and  uneducated  persons.  Their  four  forms 
should  be  developed  and  written  frequently  before  the  chil- 
dren, by  the  teacher,  because  to  systematize  knowledge  makes 
its  acquisition  easier. 

5.  There   should   be   many   five-minute   oral    drills   on 
broken,  written,  did  and  gave.    One  of  these  words  may  sug- 
gest the  drills  for  a  day,  perhaps  for  two  or  three  days.    Have 
many  oral  sentences  given  rapidly  by  the  pupils,  so  that  the 
habit  will  be  formed  of  using  the  correct  word,  almost  with- 
out stopping  to  think  about  it.    Associate  past  tenses  together 
and  past  participles  together,  separating  the  drills  on  them  by 
a  day  or  more  if  confusion  exist  in  the  minds  of  the  children. 
After  oral  drills,  have  some  sentences  written,  either  copied 
from  the  board  or  written  independently  at  the  seats.     Copied 
work  should  predominate,  to  avoid  mistakes  in  spelling,  capi- 
talization and  punctuation,  as  well  as  in  the  verbs.     If  many 
mistakes  are  made  by  children  of  this  age,  they   remember 
them  in  place  of  the  correct  forms.    Write  statements  in  which 
the  verbs  are  used.     Change  them  to  questions.     Write  ques- 
tions, and  change  them  to  statements. 

6.  Saying  the  principal  parts  is  to  help  the  children 
remember  the  correct  words.     Do  not  try  to  teach  the  prin- 
cipal parts  as  a  grammar  exercise.    There  is  enough  suggestive 
material  in  this  section  for  many  class  exercises  and  assign- 
ments for  seat  work. 

7.  Have  oral  reproductions  of  many  stories,  poems  and 
lessons.     These  should  become  the  basis  of  written  exercises. 
Such  papers  are  not  original  reproductions,  since  the  subject- 
matter  has  been  talked  over  in  the  class  until  even  its  arrange- 
ment is  common  to  all  the  pupils ;   but  in  this  kind  of  writing 


APPENDIX  xiii 

originality  is  not  the  first  consideration.  There  should  be  some 
written  reproduction  every  day  by  every  pupil,  but  it  should  be 
short.  Before  the  class  begins  to  write,  call  attention  to  the 
points  to  be  remembered,  as :  capital  letters,  punctuation, 
spelling,  division  of  words  between  syllables ;  noting,  especially, 
any  mechanical  point  in  which  mistakes  are  frequent.  Some 
hours  after  the  writing,  have  the  writer  read  over  his  paper, 
correcting  all  the  errors  that  he  sees.  Gradually,  steadily,  hold 
the  children  responsible  for  more  and  more  of  the  points  that 
are  subjects  for  daily  drills  in  the  formal  language.  It  is  the 
only  way  to  lead  some  children  to  use  them. 

Have  original  writing  once  a  week.  Suggest  any  simple 
subject,  taking  it  from  what  you  know  to  be  the  life  and 
thought  of  the  pupils.  Children  take  great  pleasure  in  writing, 
if  they  are  interested  in  their  subject.  Talk  of  something  in 
class,  just  enough  to  arouse  the  desire  to  say,  or  to  write,  more 
about  it.  Sometimes  a  sentence  or  two  will  accomplish  this. 
Awaken  thought,  but  do  not  give  many  details ;  then  let  the 
children  write.  Have  short  papers. 

Correction  of  a  paper  should  be  a  frequent  class  exer- 
cise, in  which  the  teacher  and  the  pupils  work  together  to 
improve  a  composition.  Read  again  the  suggestions  on  com- 
position, preceding  these  notes. 

8.  There  should  be  many  oral  drills  on  saw,  came,  ate, 
eaten  and  bitten,  for  these  errors  will  not  be  corrected  by  writ- 
ing.   Have  a  few  sentences  at  a  time,  several  times  a  week.  The 
oral  drill  is  the  important  part  of  the  work,  for  by  it  the  tongue 
is  educated  to  use  the  new  word,  and  the  ear  to  hearing  it  and 
to  distinguishing  it  from  the  incorrect  form.     It  is  the  fre- 
quency of  drills,  not  their  length,  that  insures  the  use  of  cor- 
rect forms  of  language. 

9.  The  quotation  was  probably  studied  by  the  children  in 
the  second  grade,  but  they  will  be  using  it  uncertainly  and 
inaccurately.     The  first  drill  should  be  on  distinguishing  be- 
tween a  direct  and  an  indirect  quotation,  in  order  to  know  when 


xiv  APPENDIX 

to  use  the  quotation  marks  and  the  punctuation.  Write  on  the 
board  some  words  used  by  a  pupil.  Precede  them  by  John 
said,  or  Minnie  said.  Change  to  an  indirect  quotation,  in  order 
to  make  plainer  the  real  wording,  or  the  direct  quotation.  Re- 
peat this  many  times,  a  few  sentences  at  a  time,  until  the  chil- 
dren distinguish  accurately  between  a  direct  and  an  indirect 
quotation.  This  point  should  be  reached  before  the  children 
are  asked  to  write  any  quotations.  To  make  the  use  of  the 
marks  more  vivid,  the  quotation  may  be  spoken  of  as  "framed" 
by  them.  Have  the  children  decide  concerning  every  sentence 
whether  the  "frame"  is  to  be  used  or  not.  Use  short  quotations, 
or  "sayings,"  so  that  the  "framing"  will  be  more  striking. 

10.  There  will  be  many  mistakes  in  trying  to  give  quo- 
tations, for  indirect  quotations  will  come  most  easily.    Hence, 
the  need  of  oral  work,  again  and  again. 

11.  To  find  suitable  words  for  exercises  on  opposites  and 
synonyms,  select  common  words  from  the  children's  vocabu- 
laries and  from  the  readers.     Take  a  few  at  a  time  orally; 
later  use  them  in  sentences.    The  purpose  of  much  of  the  work 
with  opposites  and  synonyms  is  really  like  that  of  defining. 
It  is  to  increase  and  clarify  the  vocabulary  of  the  child  by 
giving  him  a  better  understanding  of  words  that  he  is  using. 
Different  children  give  different  words;   the  teacher  suggests 
some;  the  readers  supply  others.    Take  a  few  at  a  time,  talk- 
ing them  over,  listing  them,  using  them  in  sentences.     It  is 
not  the  purpose  to  force  upon  the  child  new  words  that  he  is 
to  learn  by  heart;   but  partially  known  words  are  to  be  made 
familiar    tools.      By    these    exercises    vocabularies    increase 
rapidly  in  size  and  accuracy. 

12.  Before  asking  for  a  paper  have  an  informal  talk 
with  the  class  about  one  of  the  subjects.     This  may  cause 
similarity  in  the  various  papers,  but  that  is  better  than  paucity 
of  thought.    These  little  children  do  not  yet  know  how  to  get 
much  out  of  a  subject.    Lead  them  to  think  and  then  to  write 
on  any  phase  of  child  life,  the  simpler  the  better,  if  it  has  in 


APPENDIX  xv 

it  material  for  a  paper.  The  children  should  write  as  easily 
and  as  naturally  as  they  talk.  Consequently,  the  subjects  must 
be  such  as  they  talk  about. 

13.  Before  assigning  the  formal  work  from  the  text 
have    several    oral    exercises    on    combining   sentences.      The 
teacher  should  take  sentences  from  the  children's  papers  for  the 
class  to   work  over  to   improve  the   structure.     This   should 
always    be    encouragement,    not    fault-finding.      Fortunately, 
children   seem   to    realize   that   they  have  much  to  learn,  and 
they  are  usually  glad  of  any  help.     This  sentence  structure 
work  is  very  important ;    none  is  more  so.     Work  over  one 
sentence  a  day,  chosen  from  some  of  the  papers.     Do  not  try 
to  produce  mature  sentences.     Improve  the  childish  ones  in 
childish  ways.     This  kind  of  correction  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  language  exercises. 

14.  Children's  paragraphs  are  short,  sometimes  contain- 
ing one  or  two  sentences  only;    but  if  the  writers  have  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  together  sentences  which  belong  together, 
there  should  be  no  criticism.     On  the  contrary,  if  the  para- 
graph is  too  short  to  be  a  real  one,  lead  to  the  insertion  of  a 
few  more  sentences  to  round  it  out.     After  beginning  para- 
graphing it  should  be  remembered  in  every  paper  written ;  but 
it  is  frequently  forgotten  until  the  period  for  corrections,  and 
then  it  may  be  remembered  only  through  the  suggestion  of 
the  teacher. 

15.  This  paper  was  by  one  of  the  best  pupils  in  the 
class.     The  teacher  and  class  had  talked  together  of  what 
could  be  seen  and  heard  during  a  walk  on  the  beach,  but  the 
thoughts  are  those  of  the  children.     The  teacher  questioned 
skillfully;    but  the  children  thought,  remembered  and  wrote 
later.    Some  who  had  not  been  to  the  beach  wrote  about  a  walk 
in  the  woods  or  some  other  familiar  place. 

This  paper  illustrates  one  of  the  first  steps  in  description. 
The  words  "describe"  and  "description"  were  used  with  the 


xvi  APPENDIX 

children;    and  they  tried  to  tell  naturally  about  some  familiar 
place  or  object. 

In  this  class  the  method  of  correction  is  to  hand  the 
papers  back  after  a  few  hours  or  a  day,  and  let  the  children 
read  them  over  to  find  mistakes  or  to  make  improvements. 
Ordinarily,  such  points  as  periods,  commas,  capitals,  are 
spoken  about  to  the  class  before  the  writing  and  again  before 
the  correction.  The  children  correct  many  mistakes  for  them- 
selves, and  the  progress  made  as  a  result  of  these  self-exami- 
nations is  steady  and  encouraging. 

1 6.  Have  frequent  review  lessons  on  the  verbs  of  the 
preceding  month.     A  sentence  or  two  a  day,  reviewing  some 
point  that  has  been  studied,   will  prove  invaluable  training. 
Do  not  neglect  assigning  a  few  review  sentences  every  day 
for  seat  work.     If  broke  and  broken  are  well  mastered,  spoke 
and  spoken  will  come  almost  immediately  by  association. 

The  work  on  verbs  should  not  be  allowed  to  become 
monotonous.  Vary  it  by  all  the  devices  possible,  and  keep 
alive  interest  and  the  desire  to  use  verbs  correctly.  Do  not 
let  technical  grammar  ever  enter  into  the  work.  It  is  use, 
oral  and  written,  that  is  desired.  Have  the  principal  parts 
given  frequently;  have  even  the  conjugation  of  the  past  or  the 
perfect  tenses  given;  but  always  for  the  purpose  of  using  as 
many  of  the  simple  forms  of  the  verb  as  possible.  To  teach 
either  for  the  sake  of  technical  knowledge  is  wasted  time 
in  this  grade  and  an  imposition  upon  the  pupils. 

17.  Letter-writing  should  be  a  frequent  exercise.     Try 
to  find  interesting  suggestions  for  those  who  do  not  know  what 
to  write  in  a  letter. 

1 8.  This  is  a  troublesome  correction  to  make,  because 
it  takes   a   long  time   to   drill   it   into   the   children's   speech. 
Return  to  these  nominative  pronouns  frequently,  keeping  the 
interest  alive  in  their  use.     Do  not  refer  to  the  objective  pro- 
nouns  unless  they  are  mentioned  by  the  pupils  themselves. 
With  some  classes  it  may  be  possible  to  develop  a  fuller  idea 


APPENDIX  xvii 

of  the  subject  than  is  done  in  the  text.  If  so,  it  should  be 
merely  in  order  to  make  clearer  the  place  of  these  nominative 
pronouns  in  the  sentence.  Do  not  try  to  teach  the  subject 
grammatically.  If  confusion  exist  in  the  pupils'  minds  as  to 
the  use  of  /  and  me,  or  the  other  pronouns,  help  the  children 
by  showing  that  subject  forms  are  usually  at  the  beginning  of 
a  sentence,  and  objective  forms  at  the  end.  This  can  be 
done  without  teaching  the  subject  and  object,  or  the  nomina- 
tive and  objective  cases.  Show  that  these  pronouns  are  so 
divided  that,  in  ordinary  conversation,  those  in  the  first  column 
come  towards  the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  and  those  in  the 
second  column  come  towards  the  end. 

There  is  material  for  many  drills  in  these  exercises 
with  pronouns.  Do  not  let  the  drills  become  prosy  or  mon- 
otonous, but  keep  at  them  as  steadily  as  possible  without  such 
results.  There  is  little  danger  of  wearying  the  children  with 
them,  if  they  are  interspersed  with  other  drills  for  the  month 
or  in  review.  Children  can  be  kept  interested  in  all  this 
language  work. 

19.  Develop  plurals  orally.     Have  an  oral  exercise  be- 
fore every  written  exercise.     Continue  calling  for  singulars 
and  plurals  until  both  forms  of  all  the  common  words  are 
known. 

20.  Before  the  children  begin  to  write,  talk  over  with 
them  what  they  are  to  write  about.     Arouse  interest   and 
thought,  but  do  not  discuss  a  subject  so  fully  that  all  papers 
are  made  alike.     At  the  last  of  the  talk,  ask  what  there  is 
about  the  writing  that  we  should  always  remember.    Lead  the 
children  to  suggest  capital   letters,   commas   in  their  proper 
places,  periods,  and  the  various  other  points  that  they  have 
learned  about.    Call  attention  especially  to  those  mistakes  that 
are   frequently   made   by   members   of  the   class,   and   many 
pupils  will  remember  not  to  make  them  in  the  writing  that 
follows.    Remember,  there  must  be  much  teaching  and  train- 
ing before  there  is  testing.     These  suggestions  are  a  part  of 
the  training,  for  this  is  no  place  for  testing. 


xviii  APPENDIX 

Reproductions  should  be  more  frequent  than  original 
papers.  They  are  based  upon  something  that  the  children 
have  read  or  heard,  and  so  they  contain  many  suggestions 
for  material,  vocabulary  and  general  style  of  expression.  Tell 
a  history  story  to  the  children,  take  some  of  the  interesting 
points  from  a  science  talk  or  tell  a  story.  While  the  material 
is  fresh  in  mind,  discuss  it ;  have  oral  reproductions,  or  have 
the  pupils  write.  If  there  has  been  either  discussion  or  repro- 
duction before  the  writing,  the  pupils  can  write  readily  with- 
out assistance,  except  as  to  spelling.  Words  that  are  difficult 
to  spell  should  be  put  on  the  board  where  all  the  class  can 
see  them ;  and,  if  the  teacher  is  not  occupied,  there  should  be 
freedom  to  ask  how  any  word  is  spelled.  By  this  means  incor- 
rect forms  may  be  avoided.  A  fifteen-minute  period  for  writ- 
ing is  often  long  enough,  although  a  half  hour  may  not  be  too 
long  if  the  subject  is  interesting.  Two  or  three  days  may  be 
necessary  for  the  completion  of  a  paper.  In  such  a  case,  assign 
topics  for  every  day's  lesson,  so  that  each  paper  will  be  com- 
plete in  itself. 

21.  Several  interesting  points  in  this  paper  should  be 
observed  by  the  teacher.  The  thoughts  of  the  composition  are 
in  advance  of  the  child's  knowledge  of  punctuation.  Take  the 
expression,  "John  Alden  his  friend  and  companion  sat."  Such 
a  sentence,  written  upon  the  board,  can  be  correctly  punctuated 
by  the  teacher,  and  the  reason  given:  The  expression,  his 
friend  and  companion,  means  the  same  as  John  Alden;  con- 
sequently, it  is  set  off  by  commas.  The  pupils  who  use  such 
a  wording  will  probably  remember  the  punctuation ;  those  who 
are  not  yet  ready  for  it  will  scarcely  notice  it.  It  should  be 
given  for  the  children  who  can  take  it;  the  others  will  learn 
it  in  due  season. 

The  repetition  of  "Miles  Standish"  in  the  second  para- 
graph is  in  direct  line  with  the  study  of  pronouns  for  the 
month.  Sentence  structure  in  this  paragraph  should  be  im- 
proved. The  first  and  second  sentences  can  be  consolidated, 
and  the  third  can  commence  with  He.  Write  such  a  paragraph 


APPENDIX  xix 

on  the  board  and  let  the  young  minds  work  over  it.  Study 
this  little  composition  for  other  interesting  points. 

Take  similar  expressions  from  the  children's  papers. 
Accept  the  best  of  the  corrections  and  additions  made  by  the 
children,  but  do  not  try  to  force  them  into  mature  forms  and 
expressions.  These  will  grow  best  if  not  forced  too  rapidly. 
Let  the  papers  remain  children's  papers. 

The  paragraphing  in  this  paper  shows  that  its  writer 
had  some  conception  of  the  real  meaning  of  the  paragraph.  It 
is  possible  that  an  outline  had  been  given,  and  that  the  children 
understood  that  every  division  meant  a  paragraph.  As : 

Miles  Standish 

Where  he  lived 

Description  of  Miles  Standish 

John  Alden 

Standish's  love  for  his  weapons 

Such  an  outline  aids  materially  in  writing  a  long  story, 
and  it  helps  greatly  in  developing  the  paragraph  sense 

22.  In   the  oral   drills   have   simple,   natural   sentences 
from  the  children.     Do  not  try  to  get  mature  sentences ;   they 
would  be  stilted.     It  is  the  everyday  speech  that  needs  atten- 
tion and  correction.    Make  the  corrections  in  a  cheerful,  help- 
ful   manner,    not   with    fault-finding.      Children,    like    grown 
people,  are  sensitive  about  their  language,  and  self-repression 
and  resentment  are  quickly  caused  by  a  lack  of  tact  in  making 
corrections. 

In  this  grade  the  children  should  understand  that  there 
are  certain  correct  expressions  they  must  use.  They  should 
know  also  that  they  will  be  held  responsible  for  mistakes  in 
language,  as  they  are  in  other  studies.  While  language  work 
should  be  kept  interesting,  vigorous  and  practical,  it  should 
never  be  considered  play. 

23.  There   should  be  some  work  on  plurals,   oral  or 
written,  every  day,  until  all  the  common  words  are  well  known. 
To  select  the  words,  have  the  children  look  around  the  room, 


xx  APPENDIX 

the  yard,  the  street,  the  home,  listing  all  the  nouns  they  can 
think  of.  Notice  in  the  readers  and  story  books  all  the  nouns 
that  have  not  been  listed  by  the  first  process.  Add  new  words 
to  the  list  whenever  they  are  found.  By  this  means,  plurals 
will  soon  cease  to  trouble  either  teacher  or  pupils.  The  mastery 
of  plurals  will  be  more  rapid  and  accurate  if  words  that  have 
the  same  change  are  listed  together.  Association  is  always 
helpful. 

24.  Have  many  simple,  short  quotations  given  in  the 
class  by  the  pupils  and  written  on  the  board  by  the  teacher. 
Make  the  "framing"  by  the  quotation  marks  a  prominent  fea- 
ture of  these  exercises.     The  quotation  should  not  look  right 
without  its  "frame"  of  quotation  marks. 

Broken  quotations  will  be  mastered  almost  as  easily  as 
simple  ones  and  at  the  same  time,  if  they  are  given  a  common- 
sense  presentation.  Do  not  make  them  strange  or  difficult; 
they  are  neither.  Understanding  the  simple  quotation  ex- 
plains the  broken  quotation.  The  usual  difficulty  is  that  the 
child  forgets  to  use  the  marks ;  but  this  ordinarily  disappears 
if  the  teacher  remembers  that  many  lessons  of  training  must 
precede  testing.  Have  many  class  exercises  of  giving  and 
writing  quotations ;  that  is,  of  thinking  them  and  having  them 
pictured.  Have  many  simple  and  broken  quotations  copied. 
Then  may  come  the  original  use  of  quotations  and  the  remem- 
bered use  of  the  marks  in  all  individual  papers. 

25.  Review  lessons  should  be  distributed  through  every 
month.    A  sentence  or  two  a  day  on  some  subject  of  the  past 
month  will  keep  alive  knowledge  that  would  otherwise  become 
very  dim,  or  that  might  be  entirely  forgotten. 

26.  Begin  orally  with  these  verbs,  as  with  all  others  in 
this  grade.     Find  the  principal  parts,  then  drill  on  the  forms 
where  mistakes  are  most  common.    Have  short  drills  on  some 
verb  every  day. 

Have  oral  sentences  given  rapidly  by  the  class,  so  that 
the  habit  will  be  formed  of  using  the  correct  word  without 


APPENDIX  xxi 

stopping  to  think  about  it.  If  the  pupils  make  only  a  few 
mistakes  in  these  verbs,  shorten  the  drills.  In  bring,  buy,  teach, 
if  mistakes  are  made  in  only  one  verb,  teach  that  one  by  anal- 
ogy with  the  rest.  For  instance,  if  several  children  use 
"brung,"  show  that  there  is  the  word  brought  as  there  are 
taught  and  bought.  Then  have  sentences  with  all  three  of 
these  words,  letting  the  children  see  them  on  the  board,  so  as 
to  picture  the  correct  word.  Visualizing  is  an  important  help 
to  the  memory.  For  seat  work  assign  a  few  of  the  sentences 
from  the  oral  drills  to  be  copied,  or  have  some  original  sen- 
tences written  by  the  pupils. 

27.  Do  not  try  to  make  a  grammatical  lesson  of  this 
exercise.    The  pupils  do  not  need  to  know  anything  about  the 
names  of  these  uses,  as  noun,  adjective,  verb.    The  use  itself  is 
all  that  is  desired  at  this  stage.    These  exercises  will  be  enjoy- 
able, especially  so  if  taken  orally  in  the  class,  where  all  the 
pupils  can  give  sentences.    More  participles  may  be  used  later 
at  the  seats,  if  desired.     This  is  part  of  the  work  in  sentence 
structure,  for  it  leads  rapidly  and  easily  into  new  sentence 
forms. 

28.  Throughout  the   month   frequently   dictate   a   few 
sentences   for   drill   in  the  use   of   capitals,   punctuation   and 
abbreviations.     If  the  pupils  have  any  difficulty  in  capitalizing 
proper  nouns,  it  is  probably  because  they  have  not  learned  to 
distinguish  between  the  special  and  the  general  name.     Have 
the  pupils  give  illustrations,  do  not  do  this  for  them.     In  this 
way   is   laid  the  basis   for   recognizing  common   and  proper 
nouns.     We  say :    All  the  boats  leave  in  the  morning.     The 
Captain  Weber  sails  Tuesday.    The  city  has  well  paved  streets. 
They  are  just  paving  Hope  Street.    There  are  seven  days  in 
the  week.     My  father  left  on  Wednesday.     In  this  way  con- 
trast the  special  term  and  the  general  term. 

29.  Watch  the  speech  of  the  children.     Frequently  put 
on  the  board  a  list  of  six  or  eight  nouns.    Have  the  pupils  find 
appropriate  adjectives  to  go  with  them.    Help  occasionally,  but 


xxii  APPENDIX 

always  with  usable  adjectives.  Turn  the  exercise  about. 
Choose  adjectives  to  be  put  with  nouns,  taking  them  from 
the  conversation  of  the  children,  from  the  readers,  or  supply- 
ing them  from  the  teacher's  own  vocabulary.  There  is  no 
objection  to  using  the  words  adjective,  noun,  provided  no 
attempt  is  made  to  have  the  children  learn  them  grammatically. 
Use  the  names  and  the  pupils  also  will  use  them.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter of  convenience  to  the  teacher,  but  as  a  result  the  child 
absorbs  knowledge. 

30.  Do  not  expect  the  children  to  understand  adjectives 
and  adverbs  grammatically.    Simply  give  them  some  adjectives 
to  use  with  nouns.     Whenever  possible  make  adverbs  out  of 
them  by  adding  ly,  and  have  the  children  use  these  words  with 
verbs.     By  patiently  following  this  plan  again,  again,  and  yet 
again,  the  pupils  will  gradually  recognize  adjectives  and  ad- 
verbs ;  and,  what  is  of  real  importance,  begin  to  use  both  cor- 
rectly by  associating  them  with  the  parts  of  speech  modified. 

31.  Have  the  children  bring  pictures  to  school  or  else 
make  a  collection  from  month  to  month  of  some  that  suggest 
interesting  stories.     This  method  permits  frequent  exchanges 
and  it  rarely  becomes  monotonous.    Writing  from  pictures  may 
come  once  or  twice  a  month  or  more  frequently  if  the  chil- 
dren are  interested  in  their  subjects.     Do  not  overdo  it.     In 
this,  as  in  all  methods,  be  temperate.     Material  and  subject 
matter  must  remain  about  the  same,  but  methods  may  be  as 
varied  as  the  ingenuity  and  desires  of  the  teacher  and  the 
pupils  can  suggest. 

Ideas  are  always  needed  for  children's  writing.  Watch 
their  conversation  to  see  what  they  are  talking  about.  Put  on 
the  board  a  few  words  to  suggest  a  similar  subject,  and  the 
writing  will  be  easy.  Arouse  thought  rather  than  suggest 
subjects. 

32.  With  such  young  pupils  combining  sentences  should 
always  be  commenced  as  a  class  exercise.     This  puts  life  into 
what  would  otherwise  be  dull,  if  not  unintelligible.     Select  a 


APPENDIX  xxiii 

few  sentences  from  some  of  the  children's  own  papers  or  con- 
versation. Write  them  on  the  board,  and  ask  the  class  if  they 
can  put  them  together  in  one  good  sentence.  It  is  often  de- 
sirable to  suggest  connecting  words — relative  pronouns  and 
subordinate  conjunctions.  List  each  class  by  itself — who, 
which,  that;  and  while,  when,  for,  because.  Thus  is  established 
in  the  minds  of  the  children  a  connection  between  words  that 
will  be  of  great  help  in  later  grammatical  work.  Relative  pro- 
nouns mean  adjective  clauses;  subordinate  conjunctions  mean 
adverbial  clauses.  In  this  way,  without  the  child's  being  con- 
cerned about  it,  relative  pronouns  are  associated  with  clauses 
modifying  .  nouns ;  subordinate  conjunctions,  with  clauses 
modifying  verbs. 

Do  not  try  to  teach  grammatical  terms.  Simply  have  the 
pronouns  and  the  conjunctions  used  correctly.  That  is  enough 
for  third-grade  children. 

33.  Do    not    drift    off    into    teaching    conjugations,    a 
grammatical  exercise  that  has  no  place  with  third-grade  chil- 
dren.    Use  the  conjugations  to  help  the  child  give  sentences 
rapidly  and  correctly.     Used  in  this  way,  the  conjugations  are 
excellent  drills. 

34.  These  reproductions  are  almost  as  they  were  written 
by  the  boys.     There  was  some  correction  by  the  writers  them- 
selves and  some  assistance  from  the  teacher  in  the  punctuation. 
Childish  errors  are  numerous,  but  the  papers  are  well  written 
for    third-grade    pupils.     The    sentence    structure*  is    good! 
There  is  ample  evidence  of  drills  in  the  use  of  who  and  that. 
The  last  sentence  of  "Lobo"  should  be  recast,  but  it  is  far  from 
weak  for  a  child.     There  is  evidence  that  the  paragraph  is 
being  studied.     At  this   stage  the  tendency  is   to  put   every 
sentence  by  itself  into  a  paragraph ;  for,  to  the  child,  both  the 
sentence    and    the    paragraph    represent    separate    thoughts. 
Ernest    Seton-Thompson's    writings    are    so    interesting    to 
children  that  the  reproductions  are  vivid. 

35.  The  description,  "A  Squirrel  Town,"  is  crude;  but 


xxiv  APPENDIX 

as  an  effort  by  a  third-grade  child,  it  is  very  satisfactory.  It 
was  evidently  an  interesting  subject  to  the  writer;  and  the 
paper  should  have  been  given  back  to  him  for  two  or  even 
three  days  in  succession,  in  order  to  carry  his  thought  farther. 
An  excellent  paper  would  probably  have  been  the  result. 
Correction  of  the  whole  description  by  the  writer  would  then 
have  made  improvements. 

36.  Return  again  and  again  to  the  drill  on  pronouns. 
It  needs  to  be  constantly  refreshed  in  the  minds  of  children. 

37.  Be  observant  of  the  difficult  forms,  and  drill  orally 
with  those.     Have  many  written  sentences,  using  dictations, 
blanks  to  be  filled  and  original  writing.    A  few  sentences  every 
day  will  not  be  tiresome,  and  they  will  work  wonders  in  the 
speech  of  the  children. 

38.  In  this  use  of  adjectives  it  is  very  probable  that 
predicate  adjectives  will  appear;  as,  my  kitten  is  playful.     No 
objection  should  be  raised,  as  this  is  a  perfectly  acceptable  use 
of   adjectives.     Moreover,   the   predicate   adjective   is   rather 
more  common  with  children  than  is  the  use  of  the  adjective 
before  the  noun.     Write  some  of  the  sentences  on  the  board 
and  develop  from  them  both  uses  of  adjectives.     Remember 
that  the  children  do  not  know  these  points,  but  that  the  teacher 
is  giving  instruction  about  them. 

My  kitten  is  playful  gives  opportunity  for  some  such 
sentence  as  this,  my  playful  little  kitten  scratched  my  hand 
until  it  bled.  Show  how  much  may  be  told  about  kitten  by 
putting  playful  and  little  before  it.  Have  the  same  done  with 
other  sentences  where  the  predicate  adjective  shortens  the 
thought  of  the  child.  Sometimes  one  of  these  sentences  will 
suggest  a  paper  in  which  the  desired  adjective  will  be  used 
several  times.  Do  not  expect  too  much  from  the  little  ones. 
Patiently  continue  to  use  adjectives  and  adverbs.  Gradually, 
the  children  will  learn. 

39.  Practically,  it  is  valueless  for  the  teacher  to  correct 
such  a  paper  and  hand  it  back  to  the  child.     Almost  every 


APPENDIX  xxv 

paper  in  the  set  will  have  similar  mistakes;  so  write  any  one 
of  them  upon  the  board,  and  have  the  children  work  at  it. 
Have  the  most  noticeable  errors  corrected,  giving  first  attention 
to  any  suggestions  by  the  writer.  These  exercises  are  very 
interesting  to  the  children,  if  the  teacher  is  tactful  and  hurts 
no  one's  feelings.  All  realize  that  there  is  growth ;  and  every 
writer  is  ready  to  correct  the  errors  in  his  own  paper.  In  such 
a  class  exercise  the  teacher  and  pupils  should  work  together 
harmoniously,  the  teacher  guiding  but  not  going  beyond  the 
abilities  of  the  children.  There  are  some  mistakes  in  this 
paper  that  the  children  will  easily  find  and  correct.  "There 
own  way"  will  be  seen  immediately.  Also  capital  H  for  he. 
Some  one  will  say  that  there  are  too  many  ands.  This  will 
give  opportunity  for  honest  praise  by  saying  that  the  sentence 
structure  is  really  very  good,  if  "and"  had  not  been  used  so 
frequently.  Talking  it  over  sentence  by  sentence,  paragraph 
by  paragraph,  the  story  is  slowly  rewritten  somewhat  in  this 
way: 

The  Pilgrims  lived  in  England.  King  James  wanted  them  to 
worship  God  as  he  did,  but  they  wanted  to  worship  him  in  their  own 
way.  King  James  said  that  if  they  did  not  do  as  he  said  he  would 
punish  them  severely. 

So  they  went  to  Holland  where  they  lived  eleven  years.  After 
a  while  the  children  began  to  talk  Dutch  and  would  not  go  to  church. 
The  parents  began  to  be  afraid  that  the  children  would  grow  up  to  be 
Dutchmen  like  all  the  people  around  them.  So  they  hired  two  ships, 
the  Mayflower  and  the  Speedwell,  and  came  to  America. 

They  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock  in  the  middle  of  the  winter, 
when  it  was  very  cold.  That  winter  the  Pilgrims  had  a  great  deal  of 
sickness,  and  many  of  them  died. 

In  the  summer  the  Indians  came  to  show  them  how  to  plant 
corn.  In  the  fall  the  Pilgrims  had  a  Thanksgiving  party  and  invited 
all  the  friendly  Indians.  The  Indians  played  with  the  children  and 
were  very  happy. 

Even  these  simple  corrections  are  a  great  improvement, 
and  after  helping  with  this  paper,  every  child  can  correct  his 
own  understandingly.  Perfect  results  should  not  be  expected. 
Great  patience  should  be  exercised,  for  many  points  are 


xxvi  APPENDIX 

beyond  the  development  of  the  children,  as  in  needed  punctua- 
tion. In  these  cases  the  required  help  must  be  given  by  the 
teacher,  and  its  acquisition  by  the  pupils  must  be  patiently 
awaited.  This  mutual  help  always  means  growth. 

40.  There  is  material  here   for  many  lessons.     Every 
sentence  or  every  mark  may  suggest  a  lesson.     Have  every 
point  talked  over  in  class  before  there  is  any  written  work  on 
it.     Have  every  mark  and  its  use  illustrated  by  many  sen- 
tences, original  and  copied.     The  children  should  be  able  to 
express  intelligently  what  the  mark  is  and  how  it  is  used. 
Natural   expression  by  the   child   in  these  explanations   and 
definitions  is  preferable  to  any  memorized  wording   from  a 
book,   but  care   should  be   exercised  that  this   expression   is 
exact. 

41.  Talk    over    the    subjects    in    an    informal    way    to 
arouse    interest    and    to    develop    thought.     Help    make    the 
divisions  for  the  paragraphs.     These  little  outlines  are  not  too 
mature  for  third-grade  children;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  a 
great  help.     They  systematize  material,  put  it  into  more  con- 
secutive order,  and  help  train  in  the  mind  a  power  of  analyzing 
a  subject  and  of  grasping  it  as  a  whole.     They  are  a  great 
assistance  also  in  developing  a  paragraph  sense. 

FOURTH-YEAR    GRADE 

A  suggestive  program  for  a  month  is  given  at  the 
beginning  of  "Suggestions  for  Teachers"  (see  page  ii  Ap- 
pendix). This  and  "Composition"  should  be  read  before 
commencing  the  year's  work,  so  that  whatever  assistance  may 
be  contained  in  these  pages  may  go  into  the  work  of  all  the 
year.  Teachers  of  fourth  grades  will  find  many  suggestions 
for  their  work  in  the  notes  for  the  third  grade. 

I.  Keep  to  simple  sentences  in  these  drills,  for  it  is  very 
easy  to  confuse  the  children  on  the  more  difficult  points  and 
variations  of  meanings.  Show  that  /  shall  go  home  is  a  simple 


APPENDIX  xxvii 

statement  of  what  is  going  to  happen;  that  /  will  go  means 
determination,  often  ill-temper.  To  avoid  errors  these  drills 
should  be  more  largely  oral  than  written. 

2.  Put  on  the  board  short  lists  of  adjectives  to  be  used 
with  nouns,  and  of  adverbs  to  be  used  with  verbs.     Have  many 
oral  exercises  of  this   kind,   even  if  only  five  minutes   long. 
After  a  reading  lesson  pick  out  the  adjectives  and  have  them 
used;  or  select  the  nouns  and  call  for  appropriate  adjectives. 
Frequently,  the  use  of  only  one  or  two  adjectives  or  adverbs 
will  enliven  a  language  lesson,  will  call  attention  to  the  possi- 
bilities of  their  use,  and  will  be  a  decided  aid  in  making  the 
speech  of  the  pupils  more  beautiful  or  more  accurate. 

3.  Watch  the  language,  spoken  and  written,   for  per- 
sistent,  common   errors.     Work   steadily   to   eliminate   them. 
It  may  be  advisable  to  say   occasionally  that  certain  errors 
must  cease  to  appear  in  the  talking  and  writing.    This  should 
be  done  very  advisedly,  for,  if  said,  it  should  be  lived  up  to  by 
the  teacher ;  and  there  are  some  errors  that,  owing  to  environ- 
ment,  it   is   exceedingly   difficult  to   eradicate.     Nevertheless, 
there  should  be  a  limit  to  correction  and  to  drills  on  one  error. 

4.  As  in  the  third  grade,  there  should  be  frequent  repro- 
ductions throughout  the  year.     Many  stories  are  read  or  told 
to  the  children;    many  lessons  can  be  pleasantly  reviewed  or 
reproduced ;  and  history  furnishes  abundant  material  for  inter- 
esting reproductions,  provided  it  is  given  as  stories. 

Select  a  portion  out  of  a  long  story  or  lesson,  or  take  a 
complete  short  one.  Talk  it  over  with  the  children.  Lead 
them  to  speak  of  the  principal  thoughts,  putting  them  down 
on  the  board  as  given.  If  they  are  not  arranged  logically, 
lead  the  children  to  see  this  fact,  and  to  observe  continuity  of 
thought.  The  result  will  be  a  simple,  complete  outline.  This 
is  a  great  aid  in  remembering  the  whole  story,  in  leaving  out 
minor  details,  in  arranging  material  logically  and  in  suggest- 
ing the  divisions  into  paragraphs.  On  none  of  these  points 
is  the  pupil  being  tested,  but  on  all  is  he  being  trained. 


xxviii  APPENDIX 

Consequently,  the  outline  should  be  an  assistance  only.     It 
should  always  be  a  tool,  never  an  end. 

There  follows  an  outline  for  a  short  paper  suggested  by 
reading  and  hearing  about  the  life  of  Thomas  Edison : 

Edison 

Boyhood — games  and  playthings 
Newsboy — selling  papers  after  a  great  battle 
Learning  to  telegraph 
A  great  inventor 

Subjects  for  original  writing  should  be  as  abundant  as 
those  for  conversation.  Let  a  child  write  as  freely  as  he  talks. 
Watch  conversations,  and  let  them  suggest  the  writing.  Give 
interesting  thoughts  rather  than  set  subjects.  A  formal  sub- 
ject rarely  induces  thought  for  a  paper,  but  any  paper  can  be 
named  after  it  is  written. 

Class  correction  of  a  paper  is  a  suggestive  exercise  in 
composition.  Write  on  the  board  a  paper  by  one  of  the 
pupils,  without  giving  the  name  of  the  writer.  Have  it  studied 
carefully  in  order  to  improve  it.  This  should  always  be  done 
in  the  spirit  of  helpfulness,  not  of  fault-finding,  for  mistakes 
will  occur  even  in  our  own  writing.  Carelessness  should  not 
be  tolerated,  but  its  correction  need  not  be  a  class  exercise. 
Carelessness  belongs  to  occasional  individuals;  if  a  class  is 
careless  the  teacher  is  at  fault,  not  the  individual  pupil. 

It  is  often  surprising  what  improvement  can  be  made  in 
a  paper  by  friendly  class  criticism,  and  it  is  usually  reflected 
in  the  next  papers  written  by  the  class. 

5.  Have  many  drills  on  verbs  throughout  the  month. 
A  quick  conjugation  of  some  tense  makes  an  excellent  intro- 
duction for  an  oral  drill  in  sentences,  the  whole  not  taking 
more  than  five  minutes.  Call  on  the  pupils  in  rapid  succes- 
sion for  sentences  in  which  the  desired  form  of  the  verb  is 
used.  Follow  with  written  sentences,  a  few  at  a  time.  Em- 
ploy any  of  the  devices  found  by  earnest  teachers  to  use  the 
verbs.  Do  not  try  to  teach  the  conjugations ;  they  are  of  little 


APPENDIX  xxix 

or  no  moment.     Moreover,  they  will  be  remembered  by  the 
pupils  without  any  effort  on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

6.  Read  carefully  in  the  text  the  presentation  of  pro- 
nouns.    Then   have    several    oral    exercises    with   the    pupils 
before  assigning  a  lesson  on  this  subject  from  the  book.     Try 
to   develop  the   subject   sense,   the   feeling  that   somebody   is 
doing  something.     Use  nouns  first,  putting  pronouns  into  their 
places  immediately.     Refer  to  the  list  of  pronouns  as  soon  as 
the  pupils  can  understand  that  subject  pronouns  have  all  been 
put  together  in  a  list,  and  keep  this  list  before  the  children. 
Try  by  various  simple  means  to  develop  the  thought  of  saying 
or   understanding   something   about   somebody.     Do   not   use 
objective  pronouns  this   month,   except  incidentally  to   show 
that  they  are  not  right  in  place  of  the  nominative  pronouns. 
The  thought  of  the  month  concerning  pronouns  is  to  develop 
the  subject  sense  in  connection  with  the  nominative   forms, 
always  listed  before  the  eyes  of  the  pupils. 

Do  not  attempt  to  teach  the  subject  as  a  grammatical 
topic,  because  all  that  fourth-grade  children  need  is  to  use 
pronouns  correctly.  Grammatical  knowledge  will  come  later 
and  in  due  season;  look  out  now  for  the  correct  use,  based 
upon  understanding,  so  far  as  the  maturity  of  the  children 
will  permit.  Never  go  beyond  the  comprehension  of  the 
children. 

7.  Make  a  list  of  these  and  other  incorrect  pronuncia- 
tions.    Drill  upon  a  few  every  day. 

8.  Every  day  or  two,  assign  some  definite  topic   for 
writing.     No    day    should    pass    without    either    an    original 
paper,  a  reproduction,  or  the  correction  of  a  paper  already 
written.     Do   not   overdo   any   one   line.     Variety   keeps    all 
acceptable. 

9.  Such  a  paper  from  a  fourth-grade  boy  is  excellent 
both   as   to   subject   matter   and   treatment.     There   are    real 
thoughts  in  it.     There  is  not  a  misspelled  word.     Periods  are 
well  placed,  showing  a  good  conception  of  the  sentence.     The 


xxx  APPENDIX 

words  are  very  well  chosen,  and  there  is  some  attempt  at  illus- 
trative language — the  flowers  "in  their  coats  of  yellow,  red  and 
brown." 

Help  the  children  find  the  good  points.  Then  in  an 
encouraging  way,  not  in  fault-finding,  take  up  the  weaknesses. 
While  the  period  is  used  quite  accurately,  the  comma  is  almost 
wholly  lacking,  although  its  use  had  been  taught  in  this  class. 
The  reason  is  obvious  to  a  thoughtful  teacher.  The  use  of  the 
period  has  been  assimilated,  that  of  the  comma  is  still  tentative. 
The  writer  himself  would  probably  have  inserted  the  comma 
in  many  places  if  the  paper  had  been  handed  back  to  him  for 
correction.  Some  sentences  should  be  divided,  some  should 
be  united.  There  is  some  useless  repetition  of  words,  which 
the  class  should  immediately  recognize.  Some  words  are  not 
well  chosen ;  but  they  are  in  places  where  the  children  would 
easily  suggest  more  appropriate  ones.  It  is  in  recasting  sen- 
tences and  papers  that  some  of  the  most  effective  word  studies 
can  be  made.  "A  large  tunnel"  means  evidently  a  long  tunnel. 
"Fire  man"  can  be  replaced  by  engineer.  "The  best  sleep 
since  I  left  home"  is  more  difficult  for  the  children  to  under- 
stand and  correct.  They  may  not  think  to  say,  since  I  had  left 
home.  Study  the  division  into  paragraphs. 

Such  corrections  have  an  inspiring  effect  with  children 
when  taken  vivaciously  with  them.  They  learn  and  remember 
more  than  in  any  other  kind  of  assisted  correction. 

10.  Have  many  oral  drills  on  lie.     It  might  be  well  to 
put  the  four  forms  of  lay  on  the  board  for  one  lesson,  lay,  laid, 
laying,  laid.    Compare  them  with  the  forms  of  lie,  and  warn  the 
children  not  to  confuse  the  two  verbs.     Then  erase  lay,  and 
drill  only  upon  lie.     It  is  difficult  to  learn  to  use  lie  correctly ; 
it  will  not  be  accomplished  in  one  month's  time. 

11.  If  your  pupils  have  difficulty  in  using  lie,  lay,  sit 
and  set  correctly,  keep  to  the  drills  on  the  infinitive,  imperative 
and  past  forms.     This  will  aid  the  pupils  greatly  in  distinguish- 
ing between  the  two  words  of  each  pair.     Do  not  present  the 


APPENDIX  xxxi 

other  forms  until  these  simpler  ones  are  well  understood. 
Keep  the  drills  simple.  Use  short  sentences,  the  meaning  of 
which  can  be  quickly  distinguished.  Have  as  many  varieties 
of  applications  as  possible,  but  easy  ones.  Remember  that 
this  beginning  fourth-grade  work  on  these  verbs  is  for  the 
purpose  of  making  perfectly  clear  the  difference  in  meaning. 
This  is  more  than  sufficient  for  one  month's  work,  and  practice 
must  be  extended  over  many  months,  perhaps.  In  order  to 
prevent  monotony  in  the  work  on  the  verbs  for  this  month, 
drill  on  some  verbs  from  the  preceding  months  also.  Call 
attention  to  the  use  of  the  words  present  and  past  participle  in 
place  of  the  terms  third  and  fourth  forms.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  explain  meanings;  the  children  will  use  the  words  as  the 
correct  names 

12.  Observe  the  conversation  of  the  pupils,  and  choose 
expressions  for  contraction  and  expansion.  It  is  better  in  this 
first  work  of  the  kind,  perhaps,  to  handle  phrases  and  words. 
Call  the  prepositions  by  name ;  put  to,  in,  through  and  a  few 
more  of  the  prepositions  used  by  the  children  upon  the  board, 
and  speak  of  them  as  prepositions.  Have  sentences  written  in 
which  they  are  used.  Then,  if  the  sentences  admit  of  it, 
change  the  phrases  to  words,  or  expand  words  to  phrases.  Do 
not  try  to  teach  prepositions  grammatically,  but  have  several  of 
them  used.  In  this  way  there  is  created  a  familiarity  with 
them  that  becomes  absolute  knowledge  long  before  there  is 
any  attempt  to  teach  prepositions  grammatically. 

Any  work  within  the  comprehension  of  the  children  that 
tends  to  increase  the  flexibility  of  sentences  is  valuable.  Care 
must  be  observed,  however,  that  the  unity  of  a  sentence  is  not 
destroyed.  That  is,  keep  to  one  thought  in  a  sentence,  not 
permitting  the  rambling  constructions  into  which  children  fall 
so  easily. 

Before  papers  are  begun,  call  attention  to  paragraph 
structure.  By  this  means,  children  learn  to  use  paragraphs  in 
the  readiest  way.  Occasionally  correct  a  paper  for  paragraphs. 


xxxii  APPENDIX 

13.  In  the  paper  about  "Bruno,"  the  sentence  structure 
is  good,  and  the  paragraph  divisions  show  thought.     A  very 
noticeable  point  in  the  paper  is  the  easy  use  of  present  par- 
ticiples.    This  had  been  developed  by  writing  participles  upon 
the  board  and  asking  the  pupils  to  use  them  in  sentences  in 
various  ways.     The  class  from  which  this  paper  comes  had 
had   occasional   exercises   of   this   kind   for  at   least   a   year. 
Notice  how  the  punctuation  sense  lags  behind  the  language 
use,  an  almost  invariable  condition,  natural  to  children's  minds. 
This  writer  had  grasped  the  need  of  a  comma  after  the  par- 
ticipial phrase,  and  probably  soon  realized  the  necessity  of 
cutting  off  the  whole  phrase  by  commas.     There  is  no  better 
way  of  teaching  this  point  than  by  putting  several  sentences 
containing  parenthetical  expressions  on  the  board,  and  calling 
attention  to  the  "thrown  in  statement."     Slowly,  the  minds  of 
the  children  comprehend;    slowly,  they  differentiate;    slowly, 
they  apply  to  their  own  writing  the  knowledge  gained.     This 
is  shown  by  the  paper  just  given,  where  the  writer  has  sensed 
the  separation  at  the  end  of  the  clause  but  not  at  the  first. 
Gradually,  all  will  become  clear.     The  teacher  in  this  grade  is 
a  quiet,  sympathetic  woman,  who  understands  children  and 
knows  that  results  are  not  gained  in  a  day. 

The  development  of  a  language  sense  is  a  matter  of 
growth  for  years,  whether  it  be  in  the  use  of  words  or 
punctuation  marks,  in  the  structure  of  sentences  or  paragraphs, 
or  in  correct  and  exact  expression. 

14.  Such  a  conjugation  is  sufficient  for  a  full  month's 
work  on  verbs.     It  should  not  be  taught  as  a  formal  gram- 
matical conjugation.     It  is  merely  a  convenient  grouping  of 
tenses  so  that  they  can  be  seen  as  a  whole.     It  is  well  to  work 
out  a  conjugation  in  the  class,  in  order  to  show  the  develop- 
ment; then,  from  day  to  day,  call  for  any  tense,  always  given 
in  sentence  form.     The  past  tense  and  the  perfect  tenses  are 
the  most  important  for  the  drills.  There  can  be  no  harm  in  call- 
ing a  conjugation  by  its  name,  nor  even  in  asking  the  children 


APPENDIX  xxxiii 

what  they  understand  by  one.     Correct  naming  rarely  comes 
amiss. 

15.  Whenever  mistakes  occur  in  the  use  of  the  nomina- 
tive pronouns,  go  back  to  the  drills  on  them.     Have  a  few 
sentences  at  a  time  every  day.     Develop  a  child's  idea  of  sub- 
ject and  object,  to  aid  in  the  use  of  pronouns.     The  develop- 
ment of  the  object  with  set  and  lay  will  be  of  assistance  here. 
Do  not  press  the  work  for  the  sake  of  teaching  the  subject 
and  object,  but  drill  frequently  on  the  pronouns,  making  their 
use  clear  by  rinding  out  whether  the  subject  or  object  form  is 
needed.     That  is,  reverse  the  usual  operation.     Make  the  cor- 
rect use  the  first  thought ;  and  make  the  grammatical  explana- 
tion an  assistance  to  this  correct  use.     If  the  pupils  begin  to 
use  the  pronouns  correctly,  do  not  trouble  if  they  seem  un- 
certain about  the  subject  and  object  of  a  sentence. 

1 6.  The  pupils  should  feel  that  these  corrections  are  not 
fault-finding,  but  that  they  are  suggestions  for  making  a  good 
paper  better.     They  should  never  feel  that  they  are  writing 
for  the  sake  of  learning  correct  English ;  but  they  should  know 
that  correct  English  is  an  adornment  of  even  an  excellent 
paper.     The  first  thing  is  to  have  something  to  say,  next  to 
say  it,  and  then  to  say  it  in  the  best  possible  manner. 

There  are  some  desirable  opportunities  for  class  correc- 
tion in  such  a  paper.  In  the  next  to  the  last  paragraph  there 
is  an  exceptional  illustration  of  the  punctuation  of  clauses  in 
a  series  by  the  use  of  commas.  Such  young  pupils  rarely  use 
a  succession  of  clauses  in  their  writing.  Ordinarily,  the  best 
material  for  class  corrections  is  to  be  found  in  the  papers  by 
the  class  itself.  There  is  more  interest  attached  to  them.  Such 
a  composition  as  the  above,  however,  carries  its  own  interest. 

17.  Have  many  sentences  given  orally  by  the  pupils, 
taking  nominatives   one   day,   objectives  another,   possessives 
another.     When  the  pupils  are  well  grounded  in  their  use, 
have  all  the  cases  one  day.     Do  not  try  to  confuse  or  to  test 
until  the  knowledge  is  thoroughly  grasped.     Too  early  testing 


xxxiv  APPENDIX 

is  the  cause  of  much  confusion  in  the  minds  of  children.  Drill 
to  secure  knowledge  until  distinctions  are  clear.  Write  the 
lists  of  pronouns  by  themselves.  Combine  with  prepositions, 
as :  with  me,  by  me,  for  me,  with  him  and  me,  by  him  and  me, 
for  him  and  me.  Say  these  combinations  over  many  times. 
This  helps  fix  the  sound  in  the  mind,  and  assists  the  child  to 
a  more  rapid  elimination  of  incorrect  expressions. 

1 8.  The  teacher  must  always  lead  the  way  in  such  cor- 
rections ;  the  children  can  only  follow.     Notice  the  conversation 
of    the    children;     select    inaccuracies   in    pronunciation    and 
language,  call  attention  to  them,  and  then  drill  to  work  them 
out.     Interest   the    pupils,    or    the    efforts    will    be    hopeless. 
Arouse  in  them  a  desire  to  eradicate  errors  and  weaknesses, 
then  much  can  be  done. 

19.  It  is  very  desirable  to  learn  to  recognize  the  frame- 
work of  the  sentence,  in  order  to  use  language  more  intelli- 
gently   and    correctly.     Sentence    structure    is    difficult    for 
children,  but  both  spoken  and  written   forms  become  easier 
with  a  recognition  of  the  subject,  predicate  and  object.     Re- 
member, learning  these  facts  is  subordinate  to  using  sentences. 
Grammatical    forms    are   employed    in    order   to   give    better 
structures.     Children  often  leave  out  the  subject  or  the  predi- 
cate.    Such  work  as  this  is  to  help  children  grasp  what  is 
meant  by  a  complete  thought;    it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of 
analyzing  sentences. 

Leaving  all  difficult  sentences  untouched,  give  the  pupils 
many  short  ones  in  which  to  find  subject,  predicate  and  object. 
This  should  be  to  them  a  recreation,  not  a  labor ;  a  picture,  not 
an  analysis  or  a  diagram.  It  should  not  be  forced  with  im- 
mature minds,  but  encouraged  with  the  children  who  can 
understand  it.  Others  will  take  it  up  later. 

20.  Have  many  oral  drills  on  the  forms  that  are  most 
frequently  misused.     It  helps  the  little  ones  in  their  task  of 
thinking  up  sentences  to  write — not  always  an  easy  matter. 
Have  short,   frequent  drills.     Call  upon  the  pupils  in  rapid 


APPENDIX  xxxv 

succession,  giving  only  a  second  or  two  for  thought,  so  that 
the  brain  and  the  tongue  learn  to  act  in  unison. 

21.  There  is  subject  matter  in  this  one  verb  for  many 
drills.     Have  the  contractions  drilled  on  until  the  better,  more 
elegant  forms  come  naturally  to  the  lips  and  do  not  sound 
stilted  to  the  young  minds,  unaccustomed  to  them.     Use  shall 
in  a  sentence  or  two  every  day.     Go  back  again,  and  again 
and  again,  to  there  are  and  there  were.     Insist  on  you  were 
in  both  the  singular  and  the  plural.     Be  constantly  watchful 
about  "they  was,"   "the  boys   was,"   "we  was,"   and  the  in- 
numerable places  in  the  third  person  plural  where  "was"  takes 
the  place  of  were.     Interest  the  children  in  overcoming  the 
incorrect  use  of  this  irregular  verb,  one  of  the  most  used  and 
most  incorrectly  used  verbs  of  our  language.     Arouse  pride 
in  correct  language. 

22.  The    adjectives    suggested    here    are    intended    to 
arouse   some   thought   as   to   their   correct,   appropriate   use. 
Have  the  children  discuss  exact  meanings,  but  do  not  let  this 
go  beyond  their  comprehension.     The"  needs  of  the  children 
should   be   suggestive.     Listening  to   their   conversation   will 
show  where  adequate,   expressive  words   are  lacking.     Help 
supply  this  need  by  giving  words  that  will  fit  readily  into  the 
vocabularies.     This    should   be   done   with   all   the    parts    of 
speech. 

23.  Using  the  present  participle  is  an  enjoyable  exer- 
cise.    Show  how  it  may  be  placed  so  as  to  hold  sentences 
together,  as:    The  umbrella  is  in  the  corner.     It  is  standing 
against  the  wall.     The  umbrella   is   in  the  corner,   standing 
against  the  wall.     Take  a  few  sentences  at  a  time,  in  order  not 
to  tire  the  children  with  them ;  but  return  frequently  to  present 
participles. 

FIFTH- YEAR   GRADE 

In  addition  to  the  notes  for  this  grade,  given  below, 
fifth-grade  teachers  should  read  over  carefully  those  prepared 


xxxvi  APPENDIX 

for  the  third  and  the  fourth  grades ;  because,  in  a  general  way, 
the  suggestions  are  the  same  for  the  teachers  of  the  three 
grades.  The  notes  are  numbered  with  reference  to  special 
paragraphs  in  third  and  fourth  grades;  but  the  methods  of 
developing  composition  and  of  teaching  the  use  of  verbs,  prep- 
ositions, pronouns,  adjectives  and  other  parts  of  speech  are 
the  same  for  the  three  grades. 

The  teacher  should  also  study  carefully  the  suggested 
program  and  the  talk  on  Composition  that  precedes  the  notes 
for  the  third  grade  (see  page  ii  of  Appendix). 

The  majority  of  exercises  should  be  presented  orally 
before  the  text  is  assigned.  Bring  out,  in  a  friendly  way,  some- 
of  the  errors  noticeable  in  the  speech  of  the  children.  After 
showing  clearly  what  the  mistakes  are,  give  quick,  sharp,  oral 
drills  on  the  correct  forms.  Then  assign  the  text.  Such  oral 
drills  should  be  a  feature  of  every  week's  work.  By  them  alone 
can  the  majority  of  pupils  be  reached,  for  both  the  ear  and 
the  tongue  must  be  drilled.  Recognition  of  the  mistake  and 
a  knowledge  of  the  correction  are  only  the  foundation  for 
language  work.  Drilling  the  ear  to  a  quick  recognition  of 
the  fact  that  a  mistake  has  been  made ;  drilling  the  tongue  to 
an  almost  unconscious  use  of  the  correct  form — these  are  two 
steps  that  it  is  imperative  to  take  on  the  road  to  the  use  of 
good  language. 

The  revolt  of  the  last  few  years  against  formalism  has 
made  teachers  afraid  of  the  word  drill.  It  is  used  throughout 
this  text  as  synonymous  with  use,  with  doing.  If  a  boy 
wishes  to  become  a  farmer,  he  must  do  over  and  over  again 
the  work  of  a  farm.  If  he  wishes  to  become  expert  with  a 
rifle,  he  must  practice  and  practice.  If  he  wants  to  become  an 
able  lawyer,  he  must  use  his  knowledge  of  law  until  he  can 
not  be  tripped  anywhere  in  it.  The  same  is  true  of  all  sides 
of  life;  one  must  practice  and  practice  to  become  an  expert. 
Language  drill,  as  recommended  in  these  pages,  means  the 
repeated  use  of  some  item  of  knowledge  until  it  becomes 
established  in  the  life  and  usage  of  the  children. 


APPENDIX  xxxvii 

i.  Treat  the  conjugation  orally  in  class  before  assign- 
ing1 any  work  on  it  from  the  text-book.  Bring  out  all  its 
points,  as  developed  in  the  text.  Write  the  conjugation  with 
the  children,  constantly  calling  out  their  knowledge.  Explain 
person,  number  and  tense  as  the  writing  progresses.  Do  not 
forget  that  the  children  should  be  learning  to  speak  and  write 
correctly,  and  that  to  know  the  conjugation  is  valueless  unless 
the  correct  use  of  the  verbs  becomes  a  habit. 

As  in  the  lower  grades,  there  should  be  many  oral  drills. 
There  is  no  surer  way  of  gradually  fixing  correct  expressions 
in  speech  ancl  writing,  than  by  frequent  repetitions  aloud. 
Have  the  conjugation  of  a  tense  given  as  a  quick  and  accurate 
way  of  drilling  on  sentences,  and  then  call  on  individual  pupils 
for  sentences  illustrating  the  same  tense.  Have  these  sen- 
tences given  in  rapid  succession,  so  that  the  brain  learns  to 
use  the  form  with  no  dependence  upon  the  memory.  Five- 
minute  drills  of  this  sort,  daily,  will  give  greater  results  in  less 
time  than  the  ordinary  twenty-minute  formal  recitations.  Text- 
books are  helpful,  but  the  teacher  and  the  oral  drills  are  the 
real  basis  of  growth. 

2.  What  is  true  concerning  the  treatment  of  all  the  verbs 
studied  during  this  year  is  especially  true  for  lie,  lay,  sit,  set: 
there  should  be  short  oral  drills  upon  them  every  day,  or  every 
other  day,  until  correct  usage  becomes  habit.  Do  not  become 
discouraged  in  returning  again  and  again  to  drills  on  the  same 
verbs.  Be  sure  that  the  pupils  discriminate  in  the  mean- 
ing and  use  of  these  four  verbs,  for  until  there  is  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  meaning  of  each  and  when  to  use  it, 
drills  will  not  have  much  value.  Oral  class  work  demands  this 
discrimination  for  it  is  always  under  the  immediate  super- 
vision of  the  teacher;  consequently,  mistakes  are  corrected 
immediately.  This  is  why  much  careful  oral  work  should  pre- 
cede written  exercises.  The  more  difficult  the  point  to  be 
learned,  the  more  painstaking  and  frequent  should  be  the  oral 
drills. 


xxxviii  APPENDIX 

3.  Select  for  diagrams  three  or  four  of  the  sentences 
written   by   the  children.      Take   those   that   are   exceedingly 
simple,  without  phrases  or  clauses,  with  or  without  an  object. 
Do  not  make  the  diagram  the  end  of  the  instruction.    Its  use  is 
simply  to  clarify  the  ideas  concerning  the  sentence.     Diagram 
a  sufficient  number  of  sentences  for  the  children  to  see  clearly 
in  them  the  subject,  predicate  and  object.    Then  use  the  knowl- 
edge thus  gained  in  the  examination  of  their  own  sentences. 
Collect  imperfect  sentences  from  conversation  and  papers  to 
show  that  a  subject,  a  verb  or  an  object  is  wrongly  used,  and 
illustrate  this  by  the  diagram.     Collect  well  formed  sentences 
and  diagram  them  to  show  their  completeness.     Progress  is 
often  more  rapid  by  showing  the  strong  points  than  by  expos- 
ing the  weak.    Remember  that  the  diagram  is  not  the  end,  it  is 
a  tool  in  sentence  study. 

4.  Much  illustrative  material  is  needed  for  the  study 
of  paragraphs,  but  it  is  too  cumbersome  to  be  put  into  a  text- 
book for  children.     Select  any  story  that  is  well  paragraphed, 
and  study  with  the  class  the  thought  in  every  paragraph.    Find 
out  on  what  basis  the  writer  made  his  divisions.     See  how  the 
complete  thought  of  the  paragraph  is  built  up,  step  by  step, 
by  the  shorter  thoughts  of  the  consecutive  sentences.     Help 
the  children  remember  to  paragraph  as  they  write.     This  is 
not  an  easy  matter,   even   for  older  writers ;    so  abound   in 
patience,  tact  and  helpfulness.    Choose  the  illustrative  material 
from  stories  that  are  adapted  to  the  maturity  of  the  children, 
and  use  the  papers  written  by  the  pupils.    Make  class  exercises 
of  the  examination  of  these  papers.    Study  the  good  points  of 
some;    as,   for  instance,  thoughtful  paragraphing  or  careful 
choice  of  words.    With  other  papers  show,  in  a  friendly,  helpful 
manner,  how  better  divisons  can  be  made. 

5.  Remember  that  these  explanations  are  given  for  the 
purpose  of  making  use   clear  and  accurate,   not  to  teach  a 
number  of  grammatical  facts.    If  the  use  is  correct,  never  mind 
if  the  grammatical  facts  are  forgotten.     Out  of  use  will  soon 


APPENDIX  xxxix 

grow  the  valuable  grammatical  knowledge,  whenever  the 
child  needs  it.  When  that  time  comes  the  grammatical  facts  will 
be  easily  grasped  and  tenaciously  retained.  Give  an  explanation 
whenever  it  is  needed  for  correct  and  ready  use ;  then  use  the 
form  constantly.  Do  not  drill  on  grammatical  definitions  and 
explanations,  but  have  many  sentences  given  orally  and  have 
many  written.  Correct,  when  necessary,  according  to  gram- 
matical reasons,  but  do  not  be  troubled  if  the  children  can  not 
put  into  words  these  grammatical  explanations.  Power  to  do 
that  will  come  later.  Use  the  knowledge  intelligently  first ; 
memorize  it  later. 

6.  Have  some  similar  exercises  on  paragraphing  three 
or  four  times  during  the  month.     Be  constantly  watchful  of 
the  papers  of  the  children. 

7.  As  elsewhere,  do  not  try  to  teach  the  grammar  of 
the  exercise.    Teach  the  use  of  whom.    Associated  with  prepo- 
sitions this  pronoun  offers  little  difficulty  except  remembering 
to  use  it.     Whom  does  not  occur  very  frequently  in  conver- 
sation or  writing  by  children;   consequently,  its  use  need  not 
be  forced  upon  them. 

8.  This  should  be  a  very  interesting  exercise,  offering 
almost  no  difficulties.     Do  not  try  to  teach  the  double  nature 
of  the  participle ;   let  the  children  learn  it  by  use  and  by  talk- 
ing about  it  in  the  class.     It  is  well  to  have  oral  work  with 
such  sentences  before  the  written  exercises.     In  this  way  all 
difficulties  disappear  without  the  children  knowing  that  they 
have  existed.    If  there  is  no  attempt  to  teach  participles  gram- 
matically,  they   will   be    greatly   enjoyed ;     but   if   presented 
grammatically,  the  pupils  will  fail  to  understand  them.    What 
is  desired  is  that  present  participles  shall  be  used,  and  in  a 
variety  of  ways.     In  giving  a  list  of  present  participles  for 
such  exercises,  it  is  well  to  suggest  the  objects,  or  to  work  with 
the  pupils  in  selecting  them ;  otherwise,  confusion  and  mistakes 
will  arise. 

9.  A  little  help  in  making  such  outlines  will  be  of  great 


xl  APPENDIX 

assistance  to  the  pupils  in  paragraphing.  It  will  not  be  neces- 
sary to  make  an  outline  for  every  subject,  for  the  habit  will 
be  gradually  formed  of  thinking  the  outline  while  writing ;  that 
is,  the  habit  of  paragraphing. 

10.  The  teacher  can  be  very  helpful  to  pupils  in  this  self- 
observation,  for  the  young  minds  and  memories  need  much 
training.      Self-criticism   is   always   better   than   criticism   by 
others.     It  is  kinder,  it  can  be  more  constant,  and  all  one's 
language  knowledge  is  useless  unless  it  corrects  one's   self. 
Keep  watch  with  the  pupils  to  see  what  mistakes  and  am- 
biguities arise.     List  some  of  them  on  the  board  for  class 
work,  and  encourage  the  children  to  select  from  the  list  the 
errors  that  they  recognize  as  their  own.     It  is  probably  un- 
necessary to  add  that  if  such  work  is  to  have  any  value  with 
the  children,  it  must  be  done  in  a  cheery,  helpful,  encouraging 
manner,  not  in  a  rasping,  fault-finding  way. 

11.  Collect  errors  of  this  kind,  both  spoken  and  written, 
and  correct  them  by  taking  the  principal  parts  of  the  verbs 
misused.     Drill  to  bring  out  the  full  sound.     There  is  usually 
some  little  difficulty  in  pronunciation  that  causes  the  omission. 
Asked  requires  the  careful  enunciation  of  k  or  ast  will  result. 
A  little  observation  and  patience  will  soon  remove  this  class 
of  errors. 


INDEX 


Abbreviations,  139,  192,  301. 
Adjective,  61,  114,  193,  323. 

Comparison  of,  127,  212. 

Phrases,  240. 

In  the  Predicate,  193,  270. 
Adverbs,  62,  115,  323. 

Phrases,   242. 

Capital  Letters,  4,  34,  59,  313,  319. 
Composition,  at  the  End  of  Every 
Month. 

Hyphen,    58,   319. 
Interjections,   292. 

Nouns,    322. 
Case  of,   224. 

Common  and  Proper,  205,  313. 
Plural  of,   38,   206. 
Possessive  of,   37,   209,  224. 

Opposites,   23,   90. 

Paragraph  Structure,   28,   213,   243, 

283,  305. 
Participles, 

Present,    57,  196,  239,  252,  299,  311. 

Past,   239,   279. 
Prepositions,   158,   253,   281. 
Pronouns,  35,  123,  159,  268,  321. 

Nominative,  79,  148,  194,  234,  304. 

Objective,    79,    148,    194.. 

Possessive,  167. 

Interrogative,  268. 


Pronouns — Continued 

Personal,  255. 

Relative,  257,  268. 
Pronunciation,   129,   226,   271,   290. 
Punctuation,   35,  58,   245,   318. 

Comma,    22. 

Exclamation  Point,  71,  319. 

Interrogation  Point,   5,  319. 

Period,  5,  318. 

Apostrophe,   319. 

Quotations,  20,   47,   113,  126,   301. 

Sentence    Structure,     27,     65,     161, 
169,   236,    302. 

Sentences,   98,    271,    323. 
Diagrams  of,  169,  178. 

Suggestions     for     Teachers,     i     of 

Appendix. 
Summary,   318-326. 
Synonyms,   23,   273,   314. 

Verbs,  6,  322. 

Contraction  of,  190. 

Partial  Conjugation  of,  108,  145, 

189,  220. 

Lists  of,  45,  88,  176,  183,  325. 
Object  of,  146. 
Oral    Development    and    Use    of 

Principal  Parts,  Every  Month. 
Regular,  310,  325. 
Irregular,  326. 


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YC  49809 


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